Falcon 2000 Charter from Chicago
A Falcon 2000 charter solves a problem the rest of the heavy-jet class does not: it gets a 4,000 nm airplane in and out of runways that were built for midsize jets. Dassault put inboard slats on the LXS wing, and the result is a heavy jet with a balanced field length near maximum weight of roughly 4,700 ft.
Everything else about it is conventional heavy-jet capability — 10 seats, a 74-inch stand-up cabin, 131 cu ft of baggage, and a typical market range of $9,800–$12,000 per flight hour. It is a twin, not a trijet, which is why it costs less to run than the Falcon 8X and rather less to charter.
Why buyers choose a Falcon 2000 charter
The runway argument is the honest headline. If your Chicago departures happen at Chicago Executive because that is fifteen minutes from home, the 2000LXS is the only heavy jet on this list that reliably leaves PWK's 5,001 ft runway with meaningful fuel aboard. Every other type in the class turns into a DuPage or Midway departure the moment you fill the tanks.
The same wing pays off at the far end. Aspen, Sun Valley, London City-style steep approaches and short Caribbean strips are all in play for a suitably approved 2000, which quietly removes the need to switch aircraft mid-trip or drive two hours from a bigger field.
The second argument is fuel. Two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW308Cs burn substantially less than three engines or than the older heavy-jet generation, and on a long domestic leg the difference shows up in the quote rather than only in the operator's spreadsheet. That is why a Falcon frequently prices close to a Challenger 604 despite being the newer airframe.
Falcon 2000LXS specifications
The LXS is the current production variant of the 2000 line and the one you should assume you are being offered unless the trip sheet says otherwise. Earlier 2000EX and 2000LX airframes share the fuselage and most of the cabin but differ in range and in the wing modifications, so check the variant before you commit to a long leg.
| Specification | Figure |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Dassault Aviation |
| Class | Heavy Jet Charter |
| Typical passengers | 10 — 8–10 with a forward galley and aft three-place divan |
| Range, 4 passengers, IFR reserves | 4,000 nm |
| Normal cruise speed | 470 kts (Mach 0.80) |
| Certified ceiling | 47,000 ft |
| Cabin height | 74 in — stand-up cabin |
| Cabin width | 92 in |
| Cabin length | 26.2 ft |
| Baggage volume | 131 cu ft |
| Lavatory | Enclosed, externally serviced |
| Cabin connectivity | Ka-band common on LXS airframes |
| First delivery of this variant | 2014 |
| Typical market hourly rate | $9,800–$12,000 per flight hour |
Inside the Falcon 2000 cabin
Standard charter layout
The standard charter fit is a forward galley, a four-place club, a four-place conference group or facing pairs, and an aft three-place divan ahead of the enclosed, externally serviced lavatory. Cabin length is 26.2 ft and width is 92 inches, which is narrower than a Challenger but wide enough that the aisle is a real aisle.
At 74 inches the ceiling is the tallest of the three heavy jets here by a fraction, and Dassault's window spacing puts a window at every seat rather than between them. On a daytime crossing that is a more noticeable difference than the width numbers imply.
How many sleep on board
Three sleep properly: one full length on the divan and two on berthed club seats. A fourth can stretch out across the conference group if the layout has one. There is no stateroom and no partition, so a Falcon 2000 red-eye is a shared-cabin experience — good for a family, less good for a chief executive who wants to arrive having actually slept.
Because the 47,000 ft ceiling lets the aircraft climb above most weather early, cabin altitude on a long leg is genuinely lower than in an older heavy jet, and passengers tend to report better sleep for that reason alone.
Where the relief pilot rests
There is no crew rest compartment. On an augmented ocean crossing the third pilot occupies a cabin seat, so budget eight usable passenger seats rather than 10. Dassault's cabin is quiet enough that a resting crew member in the forward club is not the disruption it would be in an older type, but it is still a seat you paid for.
What a Falcon 2000 trip costs
Typical market range is $9,800–$12,000 per flight hour. The 2000LXS sits slightly above the Challenger at the bottom of the band and slightly below the Gulfstream at the top. Fuel efficiency shows up on long legs; on a 90-minute hop the difference between the three types is inside the noise of positioning and crew costs. The cost guide explains how those line items are assembled.
| Trip | Approximate flight hours | Typical market range |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago to Aspen, one way | 2.5 | $24,500–$30,000 |
| Chicago to West Palm Beach, one way | 2.8 | $27,500–$33,500 |
| Chicago to San Francisco, one way | 4.5 | $44,000–$54,000 |
| Chicago to London, one way eastbound | 7.6 | $74,500–$91,000 |
Missions from Chicago and the runway question
The 2000LXS carries the same 4,000 nm as the Challenger, so the international picture is the same arithmetic. Chicago to London at roughly 3,430 nm goes non-stop eastbound as a normal planned flight. The westbound return into winter headwinds is where a technical stop at Gander, Goose Bay or Keflavik gets added, and any operator who tells you otherwise in January is quoting a summer day.
Chicago to Paris is about 3,720 nm and is realistically a stop-planned leg unless the winds are unusually kind and the cabin is light. Chicago to Honolulu at around 3,600 nm is flown westbound against the flow and needs a fuel stop on the west coast; the eastbound return frequently makes it in one. Chicago to Tokyo, roughly 5,450 nm, is a technical stop at Anchorage in this type, full stop.
Where the Falcon separates itself is the domestic end of the trip. Mountain fields, short island strips and noise-restricted municipal airports that turn a Challenger or a Gulfstream into a two-hour drive are simply on the list for a 2000. That is a real, repeatable saving in ground time across a season of trips.
| Leg | Approximate distance | Non-stop? |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago to London | 3,430 nm | Yes eastbound; westbound often a technical stop in winter |
| Chicago to Paris | 3,720 nm | Marginal — plan on a stop in most wind conditions |
| Chicago to Honolulu | 3,600 nm | No westbound; a west coast fuel stop is standard |
| Chicago to Tokyo | 5,450 nm | No — technical stop at Anchorage |
| Chicago to Aspen | 830 nm | Yes, and the field length is not a constraint for this type |
Falcon 2000 versus the Challenger 604 and the Gulfstream G450
Against the Challenger 604/605 the trade is width for runway and baggage. The Challenger is 6 inches wider and seats one more passenger; the Falcon carries 16 cu ft more baggage, climbs 6,000 ft higher and needs roughly a thousand feet less runway. If your trips start and end at long runways, the Challenger's extra shoulder room usually wins on price.
Against the Gulfstream G450 the Falcon gives up 350 nm of range, 14.2 ft of cabin and 38 cu ft of hold, and gains the short-field capability plus roughly $700 an hour at the bottom of the band. The G450 is the aircraft if the mission is transatlantic in both directions; the Falcon is the aircraft if the mission is domestic with awkward airports.
For repeat corporate travel, ask the corporate jet charter team to model both against a year of your actual city pairs rather than one trip. Then send the real dates to the quote desk and compare the two priced against the same schedule.
| Figure | Dassault Falcon 2000LXS | Bombardier Challenger 604/605 | Gulfstream G450 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Range | 4,000 nm | 4,000 nm | 4,350 nm |
| Ceiling | 47,000 ft | 41,000 ft | 45,000 ft |
| Cabin width | 92 in | 98 in | 88 in |
| Baggage | 131 cu ft | 115 cu ft | 169 cu ft |
| Typical passengers | 10 | 11 | 13 |
| Hourly range | $9,800–$12,000 | $9,500–$11,500 | $10,500–$13,500 |
Frequently asked questions
How does international handling work on a Falcon 2000 trip?
The operator's trip support provider appoints a ground handler at each foreign airport and files for landing permits, overflight permits, slots and parking. Because the 2000 can use smaller fields, permits at secondary airports sometimes take longer than at a major gateway — build in three to five working days for anything outside western Europe. Handling, permits and fuel are quoted as pass-through costs, separate from the aircraft's hourly rate.
Which Chicago airport should we use for customs on the way home?
Midway carries full-time CBP and is the simplest inbound clearance for a Falcon returning overnight. DuPage and Chicago Executive both offer user-fee customs but require advance arrangement and have limited officer hours. If you are arriving before dawn, plan Midway or O'Hare. The operator files the eAPIS manifest outbound and inbound, so passport details need to reach the desk the day before, not at the aircraft.
Do we need three pilots for a transatlantic Falcon 2000 leg?
Not usually eastbound. FAA Part 135 limits an unaugmented two-pilot crew to 10 hours of flight time in 24 consecutive hours inside a 14-hour duty day, and a 7 to 8 hour Chicago to London crossing sits inside that with time for pre-flight and post-flight duties. A westbound return with a technical stop can exceed the duty day, at which point the operator adds a pilot or schedules a legal overnight rest.
What connectivity is fitted?
Ka-band common on LXS airframes on the LXS fleet, usually sold as a FalconConnect-style package by the operator. That supports mail, messaging, VPN and voice worldwide including over the Atlantic, with video calls workable if the cabin is not all streaming at once. Confirm the exact system and the included data on the trip sheet — data overage on a long international trip is a real line item, not a rounding error.
Can a Falcon 2000 really operate into Aspen?
Yes, subject to the operator holding the relevant approvals and the crew being current for the airport. Aspen has terrain, a one-way runway and weight and performance restrictions that rule out several heavy jets outright. The 2000's slatted wing and approach speeds make it one of the few in the class that works there. Ask the desk to confirm operator authorisation for the specific field before you plan around it.
Related pages
- Heavy Jet CharterClass overview, rate band and where the step up and down sit.
- Challenger 604 charterWider cabin, same range, longer runway requirement.
- Gulfstream G450 charterThe transatlantic choice in the class.
- Hourly rates by aircraft classWhat sits inside a heavy-jet hourly rate and what does not.
Further reading from the blog
Sources and further reading
- Dassault Falcon 2000LXS — Dassault's published specification and performance data for the Falcon 2000LXS.
- NBAA international operations resources — Business aviation association guidance on permits, handling and customs for international trips.
- Chicago Executive Airport — Official runway, FBO and customs information for the field this type can actually depart heavy.
Get a quote for your flight
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