Challenger 605

The Challenger 605 is chartered as a whole aircraft, not per seat. Planning rates start around US$8,800 per occupied flight hour before airport, handling and navigation charges. On most African sectors the larger variable is positioning: if no Challenger 605 is sitting at your departure airport, the empty leg flown in to collect you is priced into the quote, which is why a short hop can cost more than its flight time suggests. Every route page on this site shows the all-in estimate rather than the bare hourly rate.

Up to 11 passengers in the cabin layout typically offered for charter in Africa. Operators configure individual aircraft differently, so the usable seat count on the specific tail allocated to your trip is confirmed at quote stage, along with baggage allowance, which is usually the binding limit on safari and golf trips rather than seats.

The Challenger 605 plans to roughly 3,800 nautical miles (about 7,038 km) with normal reserves. From its Lagos base that reaches scheduled airports in 62 African countries without a fuel stop. Hot and high departures, strong headwinds and a full cabin all reduce that figure, so longer sectors are planned with a technical stop where needed.

It needs roughly 5,850 ft of paved runway at typical charter weights. On our airport data that covers 316 of the 394 African airports with scheduled service, before allowing for elevation, temperature and runway condition on the day. Shorter or unpaved strips, including most safari airstrips, are outside its limits and are flown on a turboprop instead.

Challenger 605 aircraft in our fleet data are based at Cairo, Johannesburg, Lagos, Nairobi. Departing from or near one of those cities keeps positioning cost down, because the aircraft does not have to fly an empty leg to reach you.

The Challenger 605 has a wingspan of 19.61 m (64.3 ft) and an overall length of 20.85 m (68.4 ft). Those dimensions decide which hangars and apron stands can take it, which matters at smaller African airports where parking for business jets is limited.

The Challenger 605 has a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 21,863 kg (48,200 lb), with a maximum payload of about 2,250 kg and an empty weight of about 12,154 kg. On hot, high or short runways the usable take-off weight is lower, which can limit fuel, passengers or baggage on the day.

The Challenger 605 is certified to a maximum operating altitude of 41,000 ft (12,497 m) and cruises at about 455 knots (843 km/h). The crew picks the actual cruising altitude for each sector from its length, the aircraft weight and the winds; short hops are flown lower.

Typical baggage capacity for the Challenger 605 is 3.2 m3. Soft-sided bags pack far better than hard cases, and on safari sectors the combined weight of passengers and bags is usually the real limit, so give the operator your bag count when you request a quote.

The Challenger 605 is powered by 2 x GE CF34-3B turbofans. It is flown by a crew of 2. It is built by Bombardier (2006-2015).