What Is A BBJ? Inside Boeing's Custom Private Jets

Buying any private jet, even a relatively cheap entry-level model, is a costly endeavor, but Boeing's range of private jets makes those look mundane in comparison. The American aviation giant launched its original Boeing Business Jet, or BBJ, in 1998, with a starting price of around $40 million for a finished jet. Buyers could also order an unfinished plane, which could then be fitted with a custom interior, for $33.75 million. The original BBJ was a corporate version of the 737-700, with upgraded landing gear and optional additional fuel tanks. The latter meant that it had a range of up to 6,000 nautical miles, allowing it to travel between continents without having to refuel.

The launch of the original BBJ was so successful that Boeing unveiled the BBJ2 within a year, which was based on the larger 737-800. The BBJ3 was announced in 2006 as an even larger and even longer-range aircraft, based on the commercial 737-900ER. Today, the BBJ range has expanded to include multiple models based on Boeing's commercial aircraft lineup, and they range from very expensive to extremely, eye-wateringly expensive. For the elite few who can afford them, the priciest models represent the very best of private jet travel, with BBJ jets being luxurious, spacious, and capable of flying between almost any major city without stopping.

Boeing's current lineup of BBJ models includes variants of its 737 MAX, 787, and 777X aircraft. The 777X-based model is the latest addition to the range, and comes with all the opulence that the world's wealthiest leaders could want. The exact prices for BBJ models are usually kept confidential, but a sales director at Lufthansa Technik, one of the few companies selected to produce interiors for BBJ models, told CNN that the 777X aircraft itself would cost around $450 million. The executive also added that buyers would have to fork out an additional $130 million for a fully-fitted, palatial interior designed by Lufthansa Technik. That pushes the final total well north of half a billion dollars.

It's enough to make many of the priciest celebrity jets look reasonably affordable in comparison. Accordingly, the 777X-based BBJ isn't targeted at celebs. Instead, it's designed specifically for the needs of Middle Eastern heads of state, with owners of similarly sized private jets located in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar. Despite the huge price tag, industry analysts expect more than two dozen examples of the 777X-based BBJ to be built, although Boeing has kept the specifics of its order book under wraps.

Any ultra-wealthy buyer who isn't sold on the 777X-based model has plenty of other options at their disposal. The largest of those is the 787-based BBJ, which can fly up to 9,960 nautical miles non-stop. That means that one departing from Los Angeles or Dubai could fly to any world city in one hop, while one flying out of New York would only find Southern and Western Australia to be out of its reach.

Even the smaller 737 MAX-based BBJ is still extremely capable, and can fly directly between Los Angeles and Tokyo or London and Cape Town. All of Boeing's Business jet models can be fitted with ultra-luxurious interiors by one of the carefully selected suppliers, although, thanks to confidentiality agreements, most of these finished interiors have never been seen by the general public. For the world's wealthiest heads of state who want to transport their cars, possessions, and assistants with them everywhere they go, BBJs are the ultimate lifestyle accessory. For everyone else, they're a reminder that the world's wealthiest people get to live a lifestyle that few of us can even imagine.