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Summary

  • Boeing Business Jets started with the BBJ 737 in 1996.
  • BBJ’s product lineup grew to include large widebody aircraft, including the 777 and 747.
  • The largest BBJ product was the 747-8, with Boeing delivering eight examples of the type.



Boeing and General Electric (GE) formed the Boeing Business Jets (BBJ) joint venture in 1996. According to the plane maker’s 1996 annual report, the agreement was made to respond to the demand for larger, more capable business aircraft that could fly over 6,000 miles (9,656 kilometers). The first BBJ aircraft was scheduled to be based on the 737-700 Next Generation (NG), the smallest member of the 737 NG family.

Throughout 1997, the joint venture racked up several orders, ending the year with 29 orders and the year’s last announcement coming during the Dubai Airshow in November 1997. During the same year, BBJ and Executive Jet, now known as NetJets, signed an agreement introducing BBJ aircraft into NetJets’ fractional aircraft ownership program.

Three Boeing 737 MAX BBJ aircraft on an airport apron.

Photo: Boeing


IIn November 1998, Boeing delivered the first BBJ aircraft, at which point, the company’s order book stood at 46 units, nine of which were committed to NetJets. Nevertheless, Boeing even detailed a price for the BBJ, based on the 737-700, saying that an unfurnished BBJ costs $33.8 million, while a fully furnished aircraft is between $40 million and $45 million.

Since then, the product lineup of Boeing’s business jet venture has expanded dramatically, including some of the largest-ever commercial aircraft that were converted for private use. Governmental figures have also used these aircraft for their needs, including the heads of states of the Gulf countries, which are not shy about spending cash to ensure their comfort standards are met.


5 Boeing 787-10

Designated as: BBJ 787-10

Aircraft specifications:

  • Maximum takeoff weight: 254,000 kilograms (560,000 pounds)
  • Range: 9,025 nautical miles (16,715 km kilometers)
  • Deliveries: 0


The list, starting off with the BBJ 787-10, is sorted by maximum takeoff weight (MTOW). The BBJ 787-10 boasts an MTOW of 254,000 kilograms (560,000 pounds), which makes it the heaviest out of all the BBJ 787-10 variants, namely the BBJ 787-8 and BBJ 787-9.

Two Boeing Business Jet BBJ 787s on an airport apron at night.

Photo: Boeing Business Jets

However, unlike the other two, Boeing has not delivered a single BBJ 787-10, according to the manufacturer’s orders & deliveries filings. In contrast, it has delivered six BBJ 787-8 and four BBJ 787-9 aircraft, with all deliveries occurring before the pandemic.


Nevertheless, the BBJ 787-10 offers the most cabin area and cargo volume out of the 787s designated as business aircraft yet falls short of the range that the BBJ 787-9 can offer. Furthermore, Boeing said that the BBJ 787-10’s total variable costs per hour are $11,465, while the BBJ 787-9’s are $10,910.

4 Boeing 777-200LR

Designated as: BBJ 777-200LR

Aircraft specifications:

  • Maximum takeoff weight: 347,452 kilograms (766,000 pounds)
  • Range: 9,220 nautical miles (17,075 kilometers)
  • Deliveries: 2

Curiously, Boeing’s filings indicate that it delivered two BBJ 777-200LR aircraft in 2010 and 2014. According to a Business Air News report from 2012, Saudi Arabia-based Aviation Link took delivery of the aircraft, which then required 19 months of work, totaling 500,000 hours, before it could be handed over to the customer. Meanwhile, ch-aviation data showed that the 777-200LR, registered as VP-CAL, is still active.


In November 2015, Crystal Cruises, the parent company of Crystal Luxury Air, later renamed Crystal AirCruises, announced that it had acquired a BBJ 777-200LR aircraft to launch its air vacation packages. However, ch-aviation has reported that the aircraft, now registered as P4-XTL, was formerly operated by Air Austral.

A Crystal Air Cruises Boeing Business Jets BBJ 777 flying above the clouds.

Photo: Crystal Air Cruises

Crystal AirCruises also had a BBJ 787-8 on its hands. However, after not operating any flights with the aircraft for several years, Genting Hong Kong, the parent company of Crystal Cruises, sold the 787-8 in 2021. Finally, it was sold to C&L Engine Solutions, which will part it out at Roswell Air Center (ROW).

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3 Boeing 777-300ER

Designated as: BBJ 777-300ER

Aircraft specifications:


  • Maximum takeoff weight: 351,533 kilograms (775,000 pounds)
  • Range: 9,220 nautical miles (17,075 kilometers)
  • Deliveries: 4

Similarly to the 777-200LR, Boeing had only made a handful of BBJ 777-300ER deliveries. The plane maker handed over four examples of the type between 2009 and 2018, with no further outstanding orders remaining for the BBJ 777-300ER in its backlog.

A BBJ 777-300ER flying above the clouds near a coastal city.

Photo: Boeing

When an undisclosed customer ordered a BBJ 777-300ER in June 2014, Steve Taylor, the now-former President of BBJ, remarked that the aircraft “really provides unmatched comfort and range on long-haul flights.” Similarly to other customers’ orders, the company did not disclose the identity of the company that ordered the 777-300ER at the time.


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2 Boeing 777X

Designated as: BBJ 777-9

Aircraft specifications:

  • Maximum takeoff weight: 351,534 kilograms (775,000 pounds)
  • Range: 11,025 nautical miles (20,420 kilometers)
  • Deliveries: 0

While BBJ advertises both 777X variants, namely the 777-8 and 777-9, as potential options for the BBJ 777X, the company has not published a fully-fledged airport planning document for the 777-8, meaning that there was no reliable way of knowing the characteristics of the 777-8. Nevertheless, with an MTOW of 351,534 kg (775,000 lbs), the 777-9 is the second-largest BBJ that the company has offered to its customers.

A BBJ 777X flying above the clouds over a mountainous area.

Photo: Boeing


However, so far, Boeing has not received any confirmed orders for the BBJ 777X. The manufacturer’s filings showed that all orders are assigned to commercial airlines, except ten aircraft that were purchased by unidentified customer(s).

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1 Boeing 747-8

Designated as: BBJ 747

Aircraft specifications:

  • Maximum takeoff weight: 442,253 kilograms (975,000 pounds)
  • Range: 8,875 nautical miles (16,437 kilometers)
  • Deliveries: 8

To little surprise, the largest BBJ is the BBJ 747-8, with Boeing delivering all eight VIP-configured 747s in 2012. According to the manufacturer, the aircraft is the only one in its class that fits today’s airport infrastructure, providing owners with the flexibility to fly to more destinations.

A Qatar Amiri Flight BBJ 747-8 on an airport apron.

Photo: Oleksandr Naumenko | Shutterstock


Unfortunately, Boeing ended the production of the 747 with the delivery of the last-ever Boeing 747-8F to Atlas Air in January 2023. As such, no more VIP-configured 747-8s will be delivered unless airlines acquire them on the second-hand market.

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