Aircraft model
LEARJET INC 31A
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Learjet 31A combines the Learjet 35's fuselage with the Learjet 55's wing, adding winglets and the delta fins under the tail that fixed the earlier aircraft's high-speed handling. The result climbs at 4,700 fpm to 51,000 feet — higher than most airliners — and it is one of the best-handling business jets ever built. The 31A entered service in August 1991 (from serial 31A-035) with an AlliedSignal digital EFIS panel in place of the Learjet 31's electromechanical one, and ran to serial 31A-242 in October 2003. The one break inside the run is the year-2000 block change: higher take-off and landing weights, TFE731-2C engines with N1 digital electronic engine control, thrust reversers as standard rather than an option, and a two-zone R134a air-conditioning system replacing the single-zone R12 one. The 31A/ER is the same aircraft with more fuel and a higher gross weight. A 2000 or later aircraft is therefore the one to prefer; an early-1990s one will have had the reversers and freon conversion done, or not.
It is a light jet with a midsize jet's performance and a light jet's range: 1,600 nautical miles, which means a transcontinental trip needs a fuel stop. The cabin is narrow. Runway performance is better than the 35's because of the wing. The TFE731 engines carry the same Major Periodic Inspection burden that dominates every Learjet's value, so programme status is the first question. Bombardier ended Learjet production entirely in 2021, which makes long-term support a live question rather than a theoretical one.
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Put LEARJET INC 31A side by side with up to two other models.
- LEARJET INC 31A
What it is
| Seats | 10 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 2 |
| Engine | Honeywell TFE731-2-3B |
| Horsepower | — |
| Fuel | JetA |
| Certification basis | FAR25 |
| Production start | 1991 |
| Production end | 2003 |
| Endorsements required | multi-engine |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 450 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 1,600 nm |
| Service ceiling | 51,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 4,700 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 95 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 3,500 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 2,500 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 10 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 6,400 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 1,522 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 17,000 lb |
| Empty weight | 10,600 lb |
| Usable fuel | 728 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 190 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $499,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $1,200,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 4,200 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $450,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $700,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 206 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 104 |
| Median year built | 1998.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 9.621 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 02 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 23 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 22.123 |
| Airworthiness directives | 10 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 104 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 104 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 104 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing multi-engine, turbo-fan, 2 engines, 7+ seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 5.5 of 103 |
| Support | 2.1 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 1.7 of 105 |
- Accident record: class median 1.23 · 42 models in class.
- Severity: class median 10.
- Access: class median 9,850.
- Support: class median 197.5.
- Liquidity: class median 32.81.
- Each of the five categories places the model within its peer class, from 0 (the worst of the class) to 10 (the best): a position among comparable models, not a grade. The overall score is the sum of the categories shown that are scored, out of 10 for each (50 when all five are); it is given only when at least 4 of the five are scored, and it can be set against another model's only when both are in the same peer class and scored on the same categories.