What We’re Watching in the Air

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These days, everyone expects connectivity and comfort in the sky. Business aircraft manufacturers must differentiate themselves in singular ways in order to capture and hold your attention as a client. A select few do so by maximizing speed and range, while others focus on deep customization of the living spaces you’ll inhabit in the air. Others use their nimbleness to take you places other kinds of lift cannot. Here are 13 aircraft worth watching, whether they’re flying today or still on the way.

HERE & NOW

Bombardier Global 8000 

If your goal is to get to the Monaco F1 Grand Prix as quickly as possible, a lead contender in that race is the newly launched Global 8000 from Bombardier. Setting a record in June 2026, speeding between the Canadian manufacturer’s home base in Montreal and Nice, France, the Global 8000 made the trip in just over six hours, with its top speed of Mach 0.94 enabling the feat.

An 8,000-nm trip can be made in ultimate style, too, with Bombardier’s recently announced alliance with the design house Elie Saab, an interior collaboration focused on elegance and abundance of natural light. With a cabin altitude of 2,691 feet while in cruise at 41,000 feet, the Global 8000 allows those on board—up to 17 passengers—to arrive refreshed. Base price: $78 million; typically equipped, between $81 and $95 million.

Embraer Praetor 600E 

A true room with a view, the Embraer Praetor 600E offers a new cabin arrangement allowing for its 42-inch Smart Window curved display technology to stream to passengers on board as though they were sitting in a lounge or conference room, in a veritable third zone within the cabin. The Brazilian manufacturer received triple certification on the latest evolution of its super-midsize jet from the FAA as well as European and Brazilian aviation authorities.

With a 4,018-nm range and the ability to cruise at speeds up to Mach 0.83, the Praetor 600E is well-positioned to carry up to 12 of your friends, family, or colleagues across the country or over the pond, bringing city pairs such as New York-Rome within bounds. Base price: $25.795 million.

Daher TBM 980

Matching speed with elegant efficiency, the latest turboprop in the Daher TBM series—the TBM 980—brings sophisticated and intuitive technology to the flight deck with Garmin’s G3000 Prime integrated avionics suite. With its innovative Garmin Autoland capability, any passenger can begin an emergency landing sequence in the event that the pilot becomes incapacitated. With a maximum cruise speed of 330 knots at altitudes up to 31,000 feet, the TBM 980 can take up to five people plus the pilot in and out of airfields as short as 2,535 feet in length (for departures).

In the cabin, you will find a passenger comfort display to give in-flight information and allow you to keep the environment to your liking. Each seat includes a 100W USB-C connection to keep devices charged, while the aircraft can be configured for satellite broadband connectivity when integrated with a Starlink Mini internet terminal. Base price: $5.82 million.

Pilatus PC-12 Pro

If you need more space, yet also want to leverage the efficiency and flexibility of a turboprop, the Pilatus PC-12 Pro opens up more options for you within its voluminous cabin. With a maximum range of 1,765 nm and the ability to take off from grass, gravel, or even dirt airstrips just under 2,500 feet, the PC-12 Pro allows you to pack in all of the outdoor gear you want to take with you on your next adventure.

For executive transportation, refined ergonomics in the passenger cabin stem from your choice of BMW Designworks interiors or the Pro Launch interior line inspired by the Pilatus PC-24 jet, for up to nine seats that now fully recline. For passenger safety, the Garmin G3000 Prime flight deck includes Garmin Autoland capability along with connectivity and environmental comfort settings. Base price: $6.8 million.

Tecnam P2012 VIP

Italian manufacturer Tecnam has re-visioned its largest commuter aircraft into a stylish executive version it calls the P2012 VIP edition. Marrying the cost-effectiveness of twin piston engines with an in-house design sensibility, the P2012 can seat up to eight passengers in a high-wing cabin. Each seat offers eight degrees of fore, aft, and lateral movement, with a reclining backrest and retractable armrest, along with jacks for noise-canceling headsets.

Smart windows and adjustable LED lighting illuminate the workspace or rest area, depending on your mission at the moment. The airplane comes ready for Starlink with a dedicated USB-C port and additional outlets at each seat. With a range of 950 nm, the engines sip fuel at 173 knots, and the P2012 can make use of runways as short as 2,300 feet. Base price, typically equipped: $3 million.

ON the HORIZON

Cessna Citation M2 Gen3

Textron Aviation introduced the first of its “Gen3” product line for the Citation family with the debut of the Citation CJ4 Gen3, which took its first flight in October 2024. At that time, the other two Gen3 aircraft planned in the lineup were announced: the Citation CJ3 Gen3 and the Citation M2 Gen3. The M2 Gen3 is the second of the trio to take flight, which it did on June 2, with its entry into service planned for early 2027.

The M2 Gen3 incorporates natural and sustainable materials in the cabin, ambient accent lighting, and predictive maintenance diagnostics. The Garmin G3000 avionics include Garmin Autoland. Base price, typically equipped: $6.15 million.

Dassault Falcon 10X

When Dassault Aviation announced the Falcon 10X in May 2021, it unveiled the largest of the Falcon series in every category—by volume, by speed, and by range. The French manufacturer also constructed a modular aircraft mockup to allow prospective clients the opportunity to experience the proposed cabin layouts and haute-couture-driven design from the beginning while the company worked on bringing the 10X into reality.

In June 2026, Dassault test pilots took the 10X for a first flight, in the skies over Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport. The 10X features the widest and tallest cabin of any purpose-built business jet, 38 of the largest Falcon windows, and acoustic dampening perfected over the Falcon series for what is proposed to be the quietest in the skies. The 10X is powered by Rolls-Royce Pearl 10X turbofan engines. Entry into service is projected for 2029. Base price, typically equipped, from $85 million.

Gulfstream G300

The latest among Gulfstream’s family of business jets, the super-midsize G300 debuted in September 2025 at the company’s headquarters in Savannah, Georgia. The G300 represents the evolution of living spaces in a midsized cabin in keeping with the expectations set by the model’s larger brethren, particularly the G400, G700, and G800, but at the proper price point for this segment of the market.

The aircraft features 10 large-format panoramic oval windows bathing the cabin in natural light, 100% fresh air and plasma ionization system, and a lowest-in-class cabin altitude of 4,800 feet at a cruise altitude of 41,000 feet. With a range of 3,600 nm at Mach 0.80, those locales include city pairs such as Chicago-London. Gulfstream projects entry into service in early 2027. Base price: estimated at $28.7 million.

Boeing BBJ 777X-9

If your vision of a perfect aerial experience requires an abundance of space, the ability to delineate private areas within the cabin, and plenty of rest and recharge in a stateroom with every possible luxury appointment, the Boeing Business Jet 777X will soon be available to answer all of those desires. The 777X-9 is undergoing test flight as of June 2026, and will offer the tallest, widest cross-section in the class, with 3,689 sq ft of area in the cabin.

Boeing’s Smooth Ride technology uses advanced sensors to detect turbulence and actuate the flight controls to counteract any bumps in the air. Cabin altitude is further reduced from commercial versions of the 777X to lower it to 6,000 feet at the typical max cruise altitude of 41,000 feet. Range is truly globe-spanning, with trips from Los Angeles to Dubai, or Dubai to Auckland in reach. Boeing plans entry into service to follow the commercial debut of the 777X, sometime in 2027. Base price: from $454 million.

SyberJet SJ36

Syberjet’s SJ36 encapsulates the vision of the latest company (founded in 2011) behind the long-range light jet. Initial flight testing is set to begin in 2027, with entry into service planned for 2032.

The SJ36 will set itself apart with its maximum cruise altitude of 49,000 feet and the ability to maintain a sea-level cabin up to 41,000 feet. Range will also stretch beyond 3,000 nm, enough to take you from Los Angeles to Honolulu, according to the company. Base price: estimated at $14 million.

ROTARY WINGS

Airbus H140

Distinctive on the ramp for its unique T-tail design, the Airbus H140 twin turbine helicopter is the first clean-sheet offering from the French manufacturer in almost 10 years. While built with emergency services in mind, the aerodynamic design allows for an unmatched payload-to-range performance in its class of rotorcraft under 3 tonnes (6,614 pounds). An optimized enclosed ducted tail rotor system (or Fenestron) reduces noise, along with the five-blade bearingless main rotor. Flight testing on the six-seat H140 has gone through cold-weather environments, with hot and high-altitude flights taking plance in the summer of 2026. Airbus Helicopters targets an entry into service in 2028. Base price: not yet released.

Leonardo AW09

The single-engine turbine helicopter from Leonardo (formerly the Marenco Swiss-
helicopter Sky SH09 and subsequent Kopter SH09 program) is again advancing towards certification, with both production models and flight tests taking place in concert. The first production unit, number S6, took flight in Vergiate, Italy, in August 2025, and flight testing now exceeds 1,000 hours on the eight-seat helicopter. With a range of 430 nm and a top speed of 140 knots, the AW09 offers a unique combination of efficiency and reach for short to medium hops. Multiple seat layouts in the executive-style cabin give flexibility to owners and operators. Base price: estimated at $3.9 million.

Sikorsky S-92A+

The legacy of the Sikorsky S-92 series helicopter continues, with its latest variant—the S-92A+—entering a ramp-up to production as of spring 2026. The twin-engine turbine helicopter has seen several improvements, including those to the gearbox that will improve safety and increase maintenance intervals. Increased shaft horsepower enhances the 19-passenger helicopter’s ability to perform in high outside temperatures and at high elevations, and increases the maximum gross weight to 27,700 pounds—translating to an additional 1,200 pounds of fuel, passengers, and/or cargo. The A+ kit is also available to transition a current S-92 into the latest version. Base price: estimated $27.5 million.

The Future Is Boomless

One of the deepest desires held by nearly all who travel is to get there faster. Unlike a rocket escaping the planet’s gravity at incredible speed, aircraft in the atmosphere are limited in how fast they can fly by restrictions on sonic booms over land. Those limits are why Concorde never made economic sense, because it was restricted in the routes it could fly.

And that’s why the promise of “boomless” supersonic flight is so tantalizing—and it’s never been so close at hand. The boom-suppressing NASA X-59 flew faster than the speed of sound for the first time on June 5, 2026 reaching Mach 1.1 at an altitude of 43,400 feet. The X-59 project will help prove out the technology, which leads to a mere “thump” in the crossing of the sound barrier.

Boom Supersonic’s aircraft uses similar boomless technology, and the project is in development at the company’s headquarters in Centennial, Colorado. Its initial prototype platform, the XB-1, achieved supersonic boomless cruise during testing in January 2025, using Mach cutoff to break the sound barrier six times without generating a sonic boom that reached the ground. The company will apply those learnings to the Boom Overture, which will be powered by the 35,000 pound thrust Boom Symphony engine. An executive order in June 2025 lifted the restrictions to supersonic flight over the continental U.S., paving the way for Overture’s boom-free testing to proceed.