Embraer Phenom 300E: A Broker’s Guide to Range, Cabin and Cost

Why this aircraft matters

The Phenom 300 series has been the world’s best-selling light jet for the 14th consecutive year, according to GAMA data cited by Embraer in February 2026. GAMA’s year-end report lists 66 Phenom 300E and 6 Phenom 300 deliveries in 2025, the 72 aircraft Embraer called its highest annual total of the decade, and the fleet now numbers more than 900 aircraft in service worldwide, operating in 70 countries.

It is also flown hard. Avi-Go’s 2025 annual report names it the world’s most-flown light jet in 2025, with 262,365 departures. In Europe it was the second most active model in January–August 2025, with 31,540 movements and an 8.06% share; over the full year the Citation Excel family flew more, as I set out in my note on the Citation XLS+. In June 2026 it flew 4,703 European flights, 58.96% of all Embraer flights in Europe.

The cabin, honestly described

Duncan Aviation’s October 2026 summary lists the Phenom 300/E cabin at 17.17 ft long, 5.08 ft wide and 4.92 ft high, 324 cubic feet, with 85 cubic feet of baggage and typical seating for seven. Embraer’s brochure gives a standard layout of one or two crew plus six passengers, with up to nine or ten in higher-density configurations, and a maximum cabin altitude of 6,600 ft.

In plain terms: at about 1.50 metres of headroom, you sit rather than stand, as in every aircraft of this size. Six adults on a 90-minute sector are comfortable; on a three-hour sector I prefer to plan for four or five, especially with ski or golf bags. The cabin has a private lavatory, and Embraer notes it is externally serviced, a detail from larger jets that matters on a full day of flying. If your group must stand up or carries bulky equipment, the Citation XLS+ or the Pilatus PC-24, with its cargo door may suit better.

Phenom 300E range: what it means with a full cabin

Embraer quotes a range of 2,010 nm with five occupants at 200 lb each, long-range cruise, ISA and NBAA IFR reserves with a 100 nm alternate, and a high-speed cruise of 464 kt. Duncan, using Conklin & de Decker data, lists a more conservative NBAA IFR seats-full range of 1,811 nm and a normal cruise of 430 knots. Neither figure is wrong; they describe different loads. For charter planning, the seats-full figure is the one I work from.

Some great-circle distances, calculated by me, show where that leaves you:

Flight-plan routes are longer than great circles, and winter westerlies cost real miles on southbound and westbound legs. The only number that counts is the operator’s flight plan for that registration, that load and that day; I explain why in realistic range and reserve margins.

• Farnborough to Mykonos: about 1,383 nm. Comfortable on paper, with margin.
• Farnborough to Tenerife South: about 1,567 nm. Feasible with a sensible load; winter headwinds narrow the margin.
• Munich to Tenerife South: about 1,791 nm. At the edge of the seats-full figure; I would expect the operator to ask about passengers and bags, or plan a stop.
• Hamburg to Tenerife South: about 1,930 nm. Beyond the seats-full figure; with a full cabin, plan a fuel stop or a larger aircraft.

One pilot on paper, two on your charter

Embraer markets the 300E as the fastest-flying single-pilot jet in production, and many owner-pilots fly it that way. Clients occasionally hear this and ask whether their charter will have one pilot. In the EU it should not. For commercial air transport under instrument flight rules or at night, Regulation 965/2012 sets the minimum flight crew at two pilots for all turbojet aeroplanes, as EASA notes in its own rulemaking papers.

In my experience, commercial charter flights in Europe are flown under instrument flight rules, so a Phenom on an air operator certificate should come with two pilots. If an offer mentions a single pilot, ask under which rules the flight is being operated, and whose certificate it is. That question, and others like it, are in my note on private jet safety ratings and audits.

What it costs to charter in Europe

Jet Supply rebuilt its European charter index at the end of October 2026 on a per-hour-in-the-air basis. It now places the Phenom 300 in a super light jet class with the PC-24 and the Citation XLS+, at €5,200 to €6,500 per hour, mid-band €5,850, with crew and fuel included and positioning, airport and handling fees and taxes on top. The index applies a 1.5-hour billing minimum, and quotes London to Nice (1h 42m) from €9,500 and London to Ibiza (2h 07m) from €11,300 one way on that class. Jet Supply says plainly that these figures cannot be compared with its Q3 2026 edition, which earlier notes on this site quoted; treat the two as different measures, not a price change.

On the owner’s side, Duncan estimates the Phenom 300/E’s total variable cost at $3,086 per hour, with fuel at $5.69 a gallon, an average burn of 169 gallons an hour, and major inspections excluded. On the same basis Duncan puts the Citation XLS+ at $3,815 and the PC-24 at $2,775, so the Phenom sits in the middle of its charter class on running cost while offering the most seats-full range of the three.

A deep, busy European fleet

Avi-Go ranked the Phenom 300 second by utilisation in Europe in June 2026, at 59.29% across 112 aircraft, and fourth by average monthly flight hours, at 66.9 hours per aircraft. On London–Paris it was the leading type in January–August 2025, with 8.86% of movements; on Geneva–Paris it was second, at 12.21%, behind the Falcon 2000 series.

For a charter client, a deep fleet has two effects. It is easier to find an aircraft already near your departure airport, which keeps positioning, often the hidden part of the price, under control. And in peak weeks the well-placed ones go early. When the dates are fixed, I start looking sooner and keep a second type priced alongside.

The Phenom 300EV: what changes, and when

In July 2026 Embraer unveiled the Phenom 300EV, adding Garmin Emergency Autoland, autobrake and rudder-by-wire, together with about 430 lb of additional payload and line-fit low-earth-orbit connectivity. On 25 August it received ANAC, FAA and EASA approval, becoming the first light jet certified with Garmin Emergency Autoland, with range raised to 2,055 nm with four passengers and NBAA IFR reserves.

The timing matters more than the features for charter clients. The 300EV will replace the Phenom 300E, with first deliveries planned for 2028. For the next few years every Phenom you charter in Europe will be a 300 or a 300E; the EV is a reason to watch the type, not a reason to wait.

Buying one: values in brief

Duncan’s Vref ranges put Phenom 300/E aircraft built from 2010 to the present at $5.68 million to $13.86 million. Embraer claims the highest residual value in the industry for the type; that is the manufacturer’s claim, but the depth of the fleet does support resale, because buyers, crews and maintenance shops are plentiful. I set the Phenom against other models in used private jet prices.

When I choose it, and when I don’t

I choose the Phenom 300E for two to six passengers on European sectors of up to about three hours, for business trips where speed and a calm cabin matter, and for routes where a well-positioned aircraft keeps the quote down. On the busiest corridors, such as London–Paris or Geneva–Paris, it is often the most sensible option on the list.

I look elsewhere when the group needs to stand or carries bulky equipment, when a full cabin must fly much beyond about 1,600 nm into winter winds, or when a short hop could be done in a smaller, cheaper light jet. Charter enquiries I take are fulfilled through Limitless Sky; if you send me the dates, the group and the bags, I will price a Phenom alongside the alternatives so you can see the difference.

Frequently asked questions

What is the range of the Phenom 300E? — Embraer quotes 2,010 nm with five occupants and NBAA IFR reserves. Duncan Aviation lists 1,811 nm with every seat filled. For European charter, plan around the seats-full figure and ask the operator for a flight plan on long sectors.

How many passengers does a Phenom 300E carry? — Typically six passengers with one or two crew, according to Embraer, and up to nine or ten in higher-density layouts. Six adults with normal luggage is a comfortable maximum on most sectors.

How much does it cost to charter a Phenom 300 in Europe? — Jet Supply’s Q4 2026 index puts it at €5,200 to €6,500 per hour in the air, crew and fuel included, with positioning, airport fees and taxes extra and a 1.5-hour minimum.

Will my Phenom charter have one pilot or two? — The aircraft is certified for single-pilot operation, but EU rules for commercial air transport under IFR or at night require two pilots on all turbojet aeroplanes.