Falcon 50
The Dassault Falcon 50 is a three-engine heavy business jet seating nine passengers in a 23.5-foot cabin, 6.1 feet wide and 5.9 feet tall, with flat floor, enclosed lavatory, and galley. Range is 3,450 nautical miles at 481 knots with a 49,000-foot service ceiling. Three Honeywell TFE731-3-1C turbofan engines, each producing 3,700 lbs of thrust, mount on rear fuselage nacelles (two) and the tail (one). Against the heavy jet category average, the Falcon 50 has a narrower cabin (6.1ft vs 7.6ft avg), fewer seats (9 vs 12 avg), and shorter range (3,450 vs 3,944nm avg); the trijet configuration provides single-engine climb performance substantially above what twin-engine jets in this range class can offer.
The 21 US Part 135 aircraft span 10 operators. Century Aviation holds 5, True Aviation Charter Services 4, Justice Air 3, and Panavia Air Taxi and Butler Aviation 2 each. No active empty legs appear in current listings, consistent with the type's small fleet concentrated in corporate and government charter programs.
Charter rates run approximately $4,500 to $6,000 per hour. Used Falcon 50 aircraft trade from $1.5 million to $4 million; Falcon 50EX models from $2.5 million to $5 million.
Specs at a glance
Interior & cabin
| Passengers | 9 |
| Cabin length | 23.5 ft |
| Cabin width | 6.1 ft |
| Cabin height | 5.9 ft (stand-up) |
| Baggage volume | 115 cu ft |
| Lavatory | Fully enclosed |
| Galley | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Rare |
| Cabin floor | Flat, walk-around |
The cabin runs 5.9 ft tall — most passengers will crouch slightly when walking the aisle. A fully enclosed lavatory makes it workable for longer legs.
Operator floor plans vary. Some Falcon 50 cabins are configured with a divan that drops the headcount by one or two seats; confirm the layout with the operator before booking.
Range & performance
| Range | 3,450 nm |
| Max cruise | 481 ktas |
| Typical cruise | ~409 ktas |
| Service ceiling | 49,000 ft |
At 3,450 nm, the Falcon 50 crosses the US coast-to-coast non-stop with a full cabin and reserves. Cross-Atlantic flights typically need a fuel stop.
Distances are real great-circle nautical miles from the selected hub. Angular positions are spaced for readability, not actual bearings. Range envelope assumes no wind and a full passenger load.
Charter cost per hour
Charter the Falcon 50 at roughly $10,000–$18,000 per flight hour, depending on how far ahead you book. Heavy jets like this carry 10–16 passengers; the per-seat math improves sharply as you fill the cabin.
Rates are flight-hour pricing. Total cost depends on round-trip vs. one-way, positioning, fuel surcharges, and taxes (~15% on top of base). Run the math on your trip →
History
Dassault designed the Falcon 50 as a long-range follow-on to the Falcon 20, retaining the Falcon 20's fuselage cross-section while adding a new supercritical wing, a third engine in the tail, and additional fuel capacity. When the Falcon 50 was designed in the mid-1970s, pre-ETOPS FAA regulations restricted twin-engine jets from transoceanic routes; a trijet provided the required power redundancy for transatlantic operations. The Falcon 50 first flew on November 7, 1976, and received FAA certification on March 7, 1978. First deliveries followed in 1979.
Dassault built 262 Falcon 50s through 1996, delivering them to corporate, government, and military VIP operators worldwide. The French Air Force and several European governments operated the type for head-of-state transport. The Falcon 50EX (certified 1996, deliveries from 1997) upgraded to Honeywell TFE731-40 engines with improved fuel efficiency and a Collins Pro Line 4 avionics suite. Combined 50 and 50EX production totaled approximately 340 aircraft.
Ideal For
- Eight to nine passengers on transatlantic routes where the three-engine certification provides operational flexibility on government, security, or regulatory requirements that complicate twin-engine routing over certain oceanic airways
- VIP and diplomatic missions where the 49,000-foot service ceiling (the highest in the Falcon 50's heavy jet peer group) offers maximum weather avoidance above North Atlantic weather systems
- Buyers who want 3,450nm range at a lower acquisition cost than the Falcon 2000: the Falcon 50 trades at $1.5M–$4M versus $3M–$6M for the original Falcon 2000, with the tradeoff of a narrower cabin (6.1ft vs 7.7ft)
- Owner-operators who already hold a Falcon family type rating and need the third engine's performance margins for mountainous or high-elevation departure airports
Falcon 50 vs Heavy Average
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Falcon 50's range?
Maximum range is 3,450 nautical miles. That covers New York to London (3,450nm, at maximum range subject to conditions), Los Angeles to Honolulu (2,230nm) with margin, and Dallas to London (4,740nm, requiring a fuel stop). The three-engine design provides ETOPS-equivalent routing flexibility on oceanic routes. For transatlantic legs with less favorable winds, the Falcon 2000EX EASy (3,800nm) provides more margin.
What is the difference between the Falcon 50 and the Falcon 50EX?
The Falcon 50EX (certified 1996) upgraded from Honeywell TFE731-3-1C engines (3,700 lbs thrust each) to TFE731-40 engines with better specific fuel consumption and lower emissions, plus a Collins Pro Line 4 avionics suite. Used Falcon 50EX aircraft trade at a premium of roughly $500K–$1M over comparable Falcon 50 aircraft. Both variants share the same airframe, cabin dimensions, and 3,450nm range specification.
Why does the Falcon 50 have three engines?
Dassault designed the Falcon 50 in the mid-1970s before ETOPS regulations enabled twin-engine jets on transoceanic routes. The trijet configuration was the practical solution for North Atlantic operations: three engines provided the regulatory power margin for overwater flight and high single-engine climb performance that US and European certification authorities required. After ETOPS expanded twin-engine oceanic clearances in the 1980s and 1990s, two-engine designs like the Falcon 2000 became viable for the same routes.
How does the Falcon 50 compare to the Falcon 2000?
The Falcon 2000 has a wider cabin (7.7ft vs 6.1ft), seats one more passenger (10 vs 9), and uses two engines rather than three. Both cover 3,450nm (though the Falcon 2000EX EASy extends to 3,800nm). The Falcon 50's trijet provides higher single-engine performance margins; the Falcon 2000's twin-engine design has lower maintenance costs with fewer engines and engine-related inspections. Used Falcon 50 aircraft are considerably cheaper ($1.5M–$4M vs $3M–$6M for the original Falcon 2000).
Available Empty Legs on Falcon 50s
Falcon 50s for Charter (23)
Where Falcon 50s actually fly
ADS-B-tracked flights from the trailing 90 days. Numbers cover aircraft on our charter database; private corporate fleets and operators using PIA registration are not in this count. Methodology →
Top routes
Busiest origins
| White Plains (KHPN) | 24 |
| Teterboro (KTEB) | 22 |
| Fort Lauderdale (KFXE) | 21 |
| East Farmingdale (KFRG) | 17 |
| Islip (KISP) | 17 |
| Houma (KHUM) | 17 |
| Miami (KOPF) | 15 |
| Van Nuys (KVNY) | 14 |
| Houston (KHOU) | 13 |
| Manassas (KHEF) | 11 |
Most active operators
| Operator | Aircraft | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| TRUE AVIATION CHARTER SERVICES, LLC | 3 | 209 |
| Panavia Air Taxi, LLC | 2 | 112 |
| Aurora Aviation, Inc. | 1 | 89 |
| USAC AIRWAYS 696 LLC | 1 | 88 |
| Chicago Jet Group, LLC | 1 | 71 |
| BUTLER AVIATION, INC | 1 | 70 |
| Justice Air Inc. | 1 | 39 |
| Clay Lacy Aviation, Inc. | 1 | 22 |
| Royal Air Freight, Inc. | 1 | 19 |
| Century Aviation Inc | 1 | 10 |
Comparable aircraft
Same category, similar mission profile. The framing below summarizes how each one differs from the Falcon 50 on the dimensions that matter most.