Boeing BBJ

Boeing BBJ Overview

The Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) began production in 1998, and initially cost $36 million for the unfinished aircraft. It now sells for between $41 million and $71 million used, and $71 million new. Plan for a refurb budget of $2 million to $5 million. The BBJ has a total fixed cost of $1,222,257 and a total variable cost of $2,660,719, according to Conklin & de Decker.

With the BBJ, Boeing took the fuselage of a 737-700 and mated it to the higher-fuel-capacity wing of the 737-800, landing gear, and center fuselage section. Anywhere from three to 10 auxiliary fuel tanks can be installed in the belly of the BBJ, giving it a range of 6,141 nautical miles and a maximum cruise speed of 486 ktas. The BBJ is powered by CFM56-7B27 engines and has a maximum takeoff weight of 171,000 pounds and a maximum altitude of 37,000 feet. The BBJ has a maximum of 19 passenger seats and a volume of 5,396 cubic feet. 

Since releasing the original BBJ, Boeing came out with two lengthier versions of the airplane, later known as the BBJ2 and BBJ3. The BBJ2 boasts 25 percent more cabin capacity than the original, but at the price of slightly reduced range. It came about in part because the BBJ doesn’t have much room for baggage in the cargo hold with all those extra belly tanks. In 2005, Boeing announced the even larger BBJ3, based on the Next Generation 737-900ER. Like the BBJ2, it has less range than the original BBJ, by 800 to 1,000 nautical miles.