Learjet 45 vs Learjet 60: how the two fleets are really flown
On two of the four chapters' lead measures, the gap inside each fleet is bigger than the gap between the Learjet 45 and the Learjet 60. The clearest difference is short runways: the middle Learjet 45 at 9%, the middle Learjet 60 at 39%, with no overlap between their middle halves.
Bombardier Learjet 45 fleet statistics →Bombardier Learjet 60 fleet statistics →
Fatigue
On hours per landing, the two fleets' medians match, at 1.4 : 1.
What each landing and pressurization cycle costs the structure: landings per hour and short hops.
Hours per landing
Where the two fleets sitSide by side
Every active aircraft of each type in North America: 360 Learjet 45s and 173 Learjet 60s.| Measure | Learjet 45 median | Middle half | Learjet 60 median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hours per landing Each aircraft’s average flight hours per landing | 1.4 : 1 | 1.2–1.5 : 1 | 1.4 : 1 | 1.2–1.6 : 1 |
| Short hops Share of legs under 300 nm | 35% | 27–47% | 36% | 29–47% |
| Leg length Median leg | 431 nm | 334–542 nm | 444 nm | 325–525 nm |
Corrosion
On salt air, the types sit further apart than the middle half of either fleet spans: the middle Learjet 60 at 3%, the middle Learjet 45 at 0%.
What the air around the fleet does overnight: salt, damp and freeze–thaw.
Salt air
Where the two fleets sitSide by side
Aircraft we can place on enough nights at known fields: 205 Learjet 45s and 125 Learjet 60s.| Measure | Learjet 45 median | Middle half | Learjet 60 median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salt air Nights within 2 km of the coast | 0% | 0–2% | 3% | 0–7% |
| Near the coast Nights within 10 km of the coast | 5% | 1–15% | 26% | 10–81% |
| Damp air Hours a day at 80% humidity or more, above freezing | 6.0 h | 4.6–7.6 h | 7.6 h | 6.2–9.4 h |
| Freeze–thaw Nights that froze and thawed within the day | 10% | 4–19% | 5% | 2–12% |
| Moisture in the air Average absolute humidity overnight | 8.6 g/m³ | 7.0–10.8 g/m³ | 11.0 g/m³ | 8.4–13.2 g/m³ |
Engines and brakes
On short runways, the fleets part: the middle Learjet 60 at 39%, the middle Learjet 45 at 9%, and their middle halves don't overlap.
What departures ask of engines, brakes and tires: heat and height, and runway length.
Short runways
Where the two fleets sitSide by side
Departures we could assess: 360 Learjet 45s and 173 Learjet 60s.| Measure | Learjet 45 median | Middle half | Learjet 60 median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short runways Departures where the longest runway was under 1.25× the takeoff distance | 9% | 5–13% | 39% | 28–56% |
| Hot, high takeoffs Departures at 5,000 ft density altitude or more | 5% | 1–12% | 5% | 1–12% |
| Density altitude Typical density altitude at takeoff | 1,787 ft | 1,272–2,149 ft | 1,552 ft | 1,271–1,852 ft |
Utilization
On flights a month, the gap between the types is smaller than the spread inside either fleet: the middle Learjet 60 at 10, the middle Learjet 45 at 7.
How steadily each fleet is used: flights, flying days and estimated hours.
Flights a month
Where the two fleets sitSide by side
Every active Learjet 45 (360) and every active Learjet 60 (173). Each type uses the tracking rule its own fleet page uses.| Measure | Learjet 45 median | Middle half | Learjet 60 median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flights a month In the months it flew | 7.4 | 4.6–10.6 | 9.8 | 5.8–19.1 |
| Days flown a month Days with at least one flight | 5.0 | 3.3–7.0 | 6.6 | 4.3–11.0 |
| Estimated hours a year From time in the air | ≈113 h | 70–184 h | ≈179 h | 103–329 h |
Choosing between a Learjet 45 and a Learjet 60?
Check both tails, not the types.
Enter the two tails on your shortlist. TailCheck grades each one on Fatigue, Corrosion, Engines and brakes, and Utilization against its own type, then puts them side by side.
Trip-length mix
Both fleets flew 39% of their legs under 300 nm; 15% of Learjet 45 legs and 19% of Learjet 60 legs were over 900 nm.
| Leg length (nm) | Learjet 45 | Learjet 60 |
|---|---|---|
| <150 | 18% | 17% |
| 150–300 | 21% | 22% |
| 300–450 | 15% | 14% |
| 450–600 | 12% | 12% |
| 600–900 | 19% | 18% |
| 900–1,200 | 10% | 12% |
| 1,200–1,800 | 5% | 6% |
| 1,800+ | 0% | 1% |
Share of legs by length in nautical miles, 1 Aug 2025 – 31 Jul 2026: 33,234 legs by 360 Learjet 45s and 23,073 legs by 173 Learjet 60s, every leg with a known distance. The Learjet 45's trips bunch at 150–300 nm, the Learjet 60's at 150–300 nm.
Learjet 45 vs Learjet 60: on paper
Certified figures come from each type certificate data sheet, the rest from the manufacturer. Each figure names its source; a range covers the variants one page tracks together; a dash means we don’t have a source for that figure yet. We don’t have a manufacturer source for the Learjet 45 or the Learjet 60 yet, so its manufacturer rows show a dash.
| Measure | Learjet 45 | Learjet 60 |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum takeoff weight (certified) | 20,500–21,500 lbEASA TCDS EASA.IM.A.020 Issue 18, p.19 | 22,750–23,500 lbEASA TCDS EASA.IM.A.212 Issue 04, p.13 |
| Fuel capacity (certified) | 6,062 lbEASA TCDS EASA.IM.A.020 Issue 18, p.16 | —Not in our sources yet |
| Maximum operating altitude (certified) | 51,000 ftEASA TCDS EASA.IM.A.020 Issue 18, p.19 | —Not in our sources yet |
| Passenger seats (certified) | Up to 9EASA TCDS EASA.IM.A.020 Issue 18, p.20 | Up to 8EASA TCDS EASA.IM.A.212 Issue 04, p.13 |
Learjet 45 vs Learjet 60: questions
Which is flown more, the Learjet 45 or the Learjet 60?
The Learjet 60, by about 66 estimated hours a year: the middle Learjet 60 flew ≈179 h a year, the middle Learjet 45 ≈113 h. That is a fleet median: the middle half of Learjet 60s logged 103–329 h and of Learjet 45s 70–184 h, so one aircraft can sit far from its type. In flights, the medians are 7 a month for the Learjet 45 and 10 for the Learjet 60.
Which lands more often for its hours, the Learjet 45 or the Learjet 60?
About the same: the middle aircraft of both types flies 1.4 hours per landing. More landings per hour means more pressurization cycles for the same time in the air. Short hops, legs under 300 nm, make up 35% of the middle Learjet 45's legs and 36% of the middle Learjet 60's.
Which flies longer trips, the Learjet 45 or the Learjet 60?
The Learjet 60, by 13 nm on the median leg: 444 nm for the middle aircraft, against 431 nm for the Learjet 45. Both fleets flew 39% of their legs under 300 nm; 15% of Learjet 45 legs and 19% of Learjet 60 legs were over 900 nm.
Which spends more nights by the sea, the Learjet 45 or the Learjet 60?
The Learjet 60, by 3 percentage points: its middle aircraft spends 3% of its nights within 2 km of the coast, the middle Learjet 45 0%. Salt air is one of the corrosion inputs a TailCheck report grades for one aircraft against its own type.
Cite this data
The Aircraft Ledger. “Bombardier Learjet 45 vs Bombardier Learjet 60.” Data to 31 July 2026. theaircraftledger.com/compare/bombardier-learjet-45-vs-bombardier-learjet-60
Embed a chart
<iframe src="https://theaircraftledger.com/embed/compare/bombardier-learjet-45-vs-bombardier-learjet-60/fatigue" title="Fatigue: Hours per landing" width="100%" height="360" style="border:0;max-width:960px" loading="lazy"></iframe>Method: Learjet 45s and Learjet 60s with most departures in North America, ADS-B tracking. Flight measures cover 1 Aug 2025 – 31 Jul 2026; each figure is the median of its own fleet, with the middle half (25th–75th percentile). Estimated hours from time in the air. We assume the longest runway at each field, so short-runway figures are conservative. Specifications from type certificate data sheets and the manufacturers, each cited. About our data