The business jet market is booming

Jets for private operators have never been more successful than they are today. As demand grows, MTU’s programs give it a prominent position in the market.

author: Andreas Spaeth | 4 mins reading time | published on: 26.05.2026

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The business jet market has reached a milestone: At the start of 2026, Europe became the latest region to certify the Bombardier Global 8000. This Canadian business jet for up to 19 passengers is impressive in several respects. Its range of around 15,000 kilometers, for example, means it can fly nonstop from London to Perth in Western Australia. But it’s in terms of speed that the Global 8000 really sets a high bar: With a certification up to Mach 0.95—around 1,010 km/h—it is the fastest commercial aircraft since the Concorde. And in 2021, during a test flight for the world’s most expensive business jet, with a list price of some 80 million U.S. dollars, its pilots even took the aircraft supersonic, reaching a record speed of Mach 1.105.

All three of the world’s fastest commercial aircraft are business jets. In second place behind the Global 8000 is the Cessna Citation X+, only a shade slower at Mach 0.93, while third place goes to the Gulfstream G700 at Mach 0.85. Big, fast business jets with a long range mark the upper end of the market. This segment is currently becoming much more important, with demand and usage both reaching record levels.

Investing in a business jet is worth it again

“Thanks to improved opportunities for tax depreciation under the current U.S. administration, investments in private jets have been significantly more attractive since 2025. Accordingly, demand has risen noticeably in both the new and used markets,” says Wolfgang Mattig, program manager for business jet engines at MTU Aero Engines. “But the overall market for business jets is still smaller than it was before the 2008 financial crisis. This is partly due to ongoing supply chain problems in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic.” Nevertheless, these aircraft are scarce and demand is greater than supply. In some cases, manufacturers can point to large order backlogs. “At the same time, used aircraft are available only in limited numbers—and this has the effect of stabilizing and pushing up the price level in this segment,” Mattig explains.

Business Jets

Bombardier Global 8000 (Canada)

Cessna Citation Ascend (U.S.)

Dassault Falcon 6X (France)

Gulfstream G400 (U.S.)

Embraer Phenom 300 (Brazil)

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Derived from the Global 7500, Canada’s Global 8000 is the latest business jet to offer superlative size, range, speed, and price. Its transonic wings make all the difference by providing sufficient lift at high altitudes: “We’re certified for 51,000 feet (Editor: around 15,500 meters), but we tend to fly no higher than 49,000 feet,” explains Global pilot Dennis Voigt. “At that altitude, the thinner air makes us more fuel-efficient, plus we’re usually above any turbulence.”

The Citation Ascend is the newest member of the successful Citation family, which debuted in 1998 with the Excel, followed by the XLS and XLS+. The Ascend went into operation at the end of 2025 powered by PW545D engines, in which MTU has a share. Citations can carry up to nine passengers, making them ideal for European routes, and with a range of up to 3,600 kilometers (with four passengers) they can serve almost all those routes nonstop. Compared to its predecessors, around one-third of the Ascend has been redesigned, including the 15 percent larger windows.

Launched in 2023, the Dassault Falcon 6X is the long-haul widebody among business jets. It can usually carry 12–16 passengers; with eight people on board, it can fly 10,000 kilometers nonstop at Mach 0.8. Its top speed is Mach 0.9. With 1.98 meters of headroom and measuring 2.58 meters wide, the cabin is the most spacious in its class. The 6X is powered by two PW812D engines, in which MTU is involved in the high-pressure compressor and low-pressure turbine.

The new Gulfstream G400 is set to launch in 2027 in a move designed to close the gap between the super-midsize jet class and long-haul business jets. Compared to the first G400, which was produced between 2003 and 2006, the current version is a completely new innovation. Designed for nine to twelve passengers, the aircraft was conceived for intercontinental flights at cruising speeds between Mach 0.85 and 0.90 and has a range of almost 7,800 kilometers. It’s powered by PW800 engines, in which MTU holds a 15 percent share.

The Phenom 300 (official type designation EMB-505) is a modern and widely used light jet for short- and medium-haul routes that has space for up to eight passengers. With a range of some 3,600 kilometers and a cruising speed of around 835 km/h, the Phenom 300 is considered the market leader in its class. The business aircraft has been in operation since 2009.

Flying at its best

Aviation journalist Andreas Spaeth recalls his flight in the Bombardier Global 7500 from Munich to the Dubai Air Show.

While the Global 7500 has room for a maximum of 14 passengers, today there are only four of us. Up to eight passengers can opt to lie down for the duration of the journey, and there’s even a spacious double bed in the rear cabin area. The focus is on relaxation and individuality—quite the opposite of what most people associate with air travel. Right from the steep and extremely quiet takeoff, the flight is a pleasure. There’s hardly a noise to be heard, and the aircraft’s large windows open up a panoramic view of the Alps. Our lunch proves to be an absolute feast thanks to our excellent flight attendants, among them a trained sommelier and a student of etiquette at a London butler school. The food is first-class, and so are the wines—which start at 200 euros a bottle.

“We’re deliberately flying a little slower today,” says Captain Dennis Voigt, “so you can enjoy the flight for longer.” The Global 7500 could easily cover the approximately 4,570 kilometers that separate Munich from Dubai in under five hours; in the end, our journey lasts a relaxed five hours and 18 minutes. No trouble at all for this business jet, which has a range of up to 14,300 kilometers (more than 16 hours of flight time).

After a gentle landing at Dubai World Central, I find a Rolls-Royce Ghost waiting right by the gangway. It takes just a few minutes to complete the formalities in the VIP terminal, and then it’s straight into the Rolls to go to the hotel. I could definitely get used to that.

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Demand for business jets is growing, but supply is scarce

Mattig’s colleague Fabian Thurner, who is responsible for analyzing the business jet market at MTU, cites another reason for the increased demand: “Since 2001, the number of high net worth individuals (people with investable assets of at least one million U.S. dollars–Ed.) has grown from around 7 million to some 23 million.” This group is the primary target clientele for business jets and its growth, coupled with the shortage of supply, is pushing up demand. MTU expects deliveries of private jets to increase by around four percent in each of the next three years—a much slower rate than for commercial aircraft with a center aisle, active fleets of which are expected to almost double over the next 20 years.

While there are only two to three major engine manufacturers for commercial passenger aircraft, there are five to six major suppliers competing for private jets. “This leads suppliers to focus more strongly on certain segments,” Thurner says. “MTU’s focus is on the medium/midsize segment and, with the PW800, on the large business jet segment.” Worldwide, the business jet market currently comprises almost 24,000 active aircraft. “And for 15 percent of them, MTU is involved in the engines,” Thurner says. “That’s a considerable share, and means we’re well positioned in this market segment.” Business jet modules account for around one-fifth of MTU’s annual production of components for commercial engines. To date, around 4,000 PW300 and PW500 engines have been delivered, along with around 1,000 PW800 engines.

Lower bypass ratios wanted

The demands placed on engines in business jets are quite different from those faced by engines in commercial passenger aircraft. “In the business jet sector, you need a lower bypass ratio than for commercial aircraft—meaning a smaller proportion of air flows around the engine core relative to the air passing through it. Business jets fly at higher altitudes and at higher speeds, so bypass ratios of 6:1 or 7:1 are ideal for providing the necessary thrust even when cruising. The climb rate is also better when the bypass ratio isn’t any higher than this,” Mattig says. “On top of that, having low-vibration engines is a much bigger priority for business jet customers than for the operators of scheduled flights.”

There’s also a clear difference in the intensity of operation. “A business jet usually notches up 300 to 500 flight hours each year,” Mattig says. A typical Airbus A320, on the other hand, is in the air for around 2,500 hours per year with three to eight flight segments daily. “Nonetheless, the engines’ service life requirements are the same in both instances—so you could say that the engines for business jets are ‘overengineered’ to a certain extent.”

Canadian connection

For over 40 years, MTU has partnered with Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC), a big player in regional and business jets and in helicopter engines. MTU is integrated into the entire product lifecycle, from development to production to maintenance.

This collaboration began in 1985 with the PW300 engine family. In 1990, MTU delivered its first module for the PW305, the engine for a Hawker 1000. The PW500 was added in 1993, with the PW810 following in 2008. The PW800 family marks Pratt & Whitney Canada’s entry into a new and much more powerful thrust class of turbofan engines.

In 2010, MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg and P&WC founded the Pratt & Whitney Canada Customer Service Centre Europe (CSC) as a joint venture.

PW800: The PW800 uses the same core engine as the geared turbofan family. This engine powers long-haul business jets such as the Gulfstream G500 and G600 as well as the Dassault Falcon 6X. Starting in 2027, it will also be installed on the Gulfstream G400. MTU’s share is 15 percent and its scope of work is slightly different than with the older PWC programs: In addition to the low-pressure turbine, MTU also develops and manufactures the forward four stages of the high-pressure compressor. Since 2025, MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg has offered comprehensive MRO for the PW800—as one of only two locations worldwide.

PW500: With a program share of 25 percent, MTU develops and manufactures the entire low-pressure turbine including exit case and mixer. MTU Maintenance has also been offering services for this engine since 2005 and has now carried out more than 250 shop visits. The PW545 is the exclusive engine of Cessna’s Excel, XLS, and XLS+ models, and since the end of 2025, the most recent iteration of the engine, the PW545D, has powered the latest model: the Cessna Citation Ascend. The PW545 also powers the General Atomics Predator C Avenger drone. Since 1993, the five PW500 variants in which MTU participates have accumulated more than 17 million flight hours.

PW300: MTU has a 25 percent share in developing and manufacturing both the PW305 and PW306, as well as a 15 percent share in the PW307. The focus here is on the low-pressure turbine, including the turbine exit case and mixer. Over 350 shop visits have been carried out at MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg to date. The PW307 powers the Dassault Falcon 7X and 8X, while the PW306 is used in, for example, the Cessna Latitude.

“Won’t fly” doesn’t apply to business jets

To suggest that business jet engines are merely modifications of existing commercial narrowbody programs is very wide of the mark. “The engines for the lower thrust classes aren’t slimmed-down versions of engines for bigger jets, but have been designed precisely for their thrust class,” Mattig says. “In the case of the PW800, where we also manufacture the forward stages of the compressor, the core engine for the Gulfstream G500 and G600 has the same design as the engine for the Airbus A220. We took technology from the larger engine and scaled it down.”

Mattig is aware of another key difference between airline customers and private jet owners. “Business jet operators and private individuals expect their aircraft to be ready for take-off at any time. In this respect, the customer is certainly king,” he says. MTU does everything it can to ensure these high expectations are met.