Embraer Praetor 600

Where it came from

The Praetor 600 was announced in October 2018, alongside the Praetor 500, at the NBAA convention in Orlando. It was not a new aeroplane and Embraer did not present it as one: it is the Legacy 500 airframe with a new wing carrying winglets, a 21.50 m span against the Legacy's shorter one, considerably more fuel — 9,116 litres against 7,372 — and uprated Honeywell HTF7500E engines at 7,528 lbf. Maximum take-off weight rose from 17,400 kg to 19,440 kg. The cabin was not touched, because it did not need to be.

Certification was quick for exactly that reason. ANAC signed off on 18 April 2019 and the FAA and EASA on 20 May 2019 — triple certification about seven months after the announcement, achievable only because the airframe was already flying in service. The first aircraft was delivered in June 2019.

What it was built to beat was the range ceiling of its own class. At 4,018 nm it went past the Challenger 350's 3,200 nm by a wide margin and became the only aircraft of its size marketed for London to New York nonstop — the reason our super-midsize class range now reads 5,300 to 7,400 km, with this aircraft setting the top of it.

By mid-2026 163 Praetor 600s had been built, out of 448 aircraft in the wider family, and production continues. In Europe it is now more commonly offered on charter than the Legacy 500 it grew out of.

Who charters a Praetor 600

This is the aircraft for the trip that leaves Europe. Six to nine people to the Gulf, to India, or across the Atlantic, arriving without the fuel stop that the rest of the class builds into the plan. On a two-hour hop to Nice it is an expensive way to fly a Legacy 500.

Against its own sibling the choice is clean, because nothing about the cabin is in question: the Legacy 500 is the same room at a lower rate and roughly 1,600 km less range. Against the Challenger 350 it is a genuine trade. The Challenger is wider — 2.19 m against 2.08 — has more tails on European ramps and costs less per hour; the Praetor flies about 1,500 km further with the cabin full and holds a lower cabin altitude. Against a heavy jet such as the Challenger 605 the published range is the same 7,400 km: you give up 41 cm of cabin width and three seats, and the starting rate is about €1,000 an hour lower.

What 7,400 km actually buys from Europe

The headline is 4,018 nm at long-range cruise with four aboard, NBAA IFR reserves and a 200 nm alternate. The useful number is the other one Embraer publishes: 3,756 nm, or 6,956 km, with the seats full. A penalty under 500 km is why this aircraft's range survives contact with a real passenger list.

From London that means Dubai at 5,500 km nonstop with everyone aboard and about 6h 50m of block time — not an edge case here, the way it is on a Challenger 350. New York is 5,575 km and realistic westbound, though it turns on winds and load and we quote it that way rather than promise it. Zurich to Mumbai at 6,186 km and Milan to New York at 6,538 km are inside the full-cabin figure; London to Delhi at 6,704 km sits at the limit. Beijing, Bangkok, Malé and Johannesburg are not super-midsize sectors, whatever the headline suggests.

The cabin, the bags and the lavatory

Nine seats in two zones, a flat floor, 1.83 m of headroom, 2.08 m of width and a six-foot berthable divan. The 8.38 m cabin is Embraer's published figure and the longest in the class, though manufacturers measure from different points, so check what a rival's number includes before comparing.

Cabin altitude is 5,800 ft at 45,000 ft, and on this aeroplane that is not a specification-sheet detail: it is the difference between arriving in Mumbai able to work and arriving having spent eight hours at the 8,000 ft an airliner is allowed to hold. Baggage is 4.39 m³, the largest in the class, with the aft compartment reachable from the cabin in flight. The lavatory is aft, fully enclosed behind a solid door, vacuum flush, with the galley and wardrobe forward. Connectivity is the type's other quiet advantage: Viasat Ka-band was certified for it in November 2019 and is common on charter tails, though we still confirm it per aircraft.

Runways, airports and what we do not claim

Field length is 1,438 m to take off at maximum weight and 660 m to land. Cannes-Mandelieu's 1,610 m runway fits, with fuel planning on a hot day; Samedan is operable subject to seasonal limits and the mandatory crew briefing; Sion and Ibiza ask nothing unusual. Note that the extra fuel costs something here — the lighter Legacy 500 gets airborne in 1,245 m.

London City is the one we will not claim. We have found no steep-approach certification for the Praetor 600. The Legacy 500 airframe has operated LCY and the Challenger 350 is certified for it, but neither transfers, and a broker who assumes it transfers is the one whose client discovers the truth on the day. If your trip needs London City, we will confirm it with the operator or put you on a type that holds the approval.

Inside Europe the short sectors are unremarkable: London to Geneva about 1h 25m, Nice 1h 40m, Milan 1h 50m, Ibiza 2h 30m, Larnaca 4h 30m.

What moves the price

From around €6,000 per flight hour, and on a long sector the hourly rate finally becomes the biggest line on the invoice rather than a footnote to the positioning. That is the argument for this aircraft on a nine-hour trip and the argument against it on a ninety-minute one.

Positioning still matters: the European Praetor fleet is growing but it is not a Challenger 350 fleet, so the aircraft may come to you from another country. Crew duty matters more here than on any other type in the class — a sector approaching nine hours can require an augmented crew, and a same-day return is usually not legal at all, so plan a night stop. Then season and airport fees: Nice in July, Geneva in ski season, Dubai over the winter, when slots, ramp parking and handling move together. Cabin crew is an option rather than a standard fit, and on a sector this long it is worth asking for.