Learjet 31 LV-CNQ, photographed in 2012. · Photo: Aeroprints.com via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Learjet · Light Jet
Learjet 31
The original Learjet 31, built 1988–1991; only 38 were made before the upgraded 31A replaced it.
A thrilling, inexpensive way into a Learjet that climbs to 51,000 ft and cruises near 448 kt. Its tight cabin, short range and 35-year-old airframe make the engine program and inspection history matter far more than the asking price.
Buy it if
You usually fly two to four people on trips under about 1,000 nm, value speed and climb over cabin space, and can find an example with engines on an hourly program and a recent 12-year inspection.
Skip it if
You regularly carry five or more passengers with luggage, need an enclosed lavatory, want coast-to-coast trips without a stop, or care about easy resale. The later 31A offers the same airframe with newer equipment.
Biggest compromise
Range and payload. Without the 35A's tip tanks it carries about 2,076 lb less fuel, so operators treat it as a 1,000 nm airplane.
The numbers that matter
Purchase price
$543K–$689K
guide value (Vref, as published by FlyCraft)
What it costs per year
$1.21M
at 300 hrs · two professional pilots
How far it flies
1,631 nm
1,195–1,290 nm with passengers
How fast
448 kt
high-speed cruise
Seats
6
6 typical (up to 8)
Pilots needed
2
Flown by two pilots, each holding the Learjet type rating.
Price
What one costs to buy
Guide value
$543K–$689K
Other sites
Priced vs call
with a price / call for price
Only one of two advertised aircraft shows a price: $850,000 for a high-time 1990 example with engines on an hourly plan. Guide values run $543,000–$689,000.
Price vs its family and alternatives
Scroll to explore · select a jet for details
Learjet 31 · This aircraft
$543K–$689K guide
Guide value, not a listed asking price.
The least expensive here; next up is the Learjet 35 / 35A.
For sale now
None listed right now
Cost to own
What it costs per year to run
300hours / year
Per year
Per flight hour
Estimate — your operator will quote actual numbers.
Fuel, airframe maintenance allowance, engine hourly program and trip costs and 12-year inspection reserve rise as you fly more. Two pilots' salaries and benefits, recurrent training, hangar, insurance, aircraft management and charts, weather and tracking services stay the same however much you fly.
Where the money goes
- Two pilots' salaries and benefits$201,00017%
- Recurrent training$31,5003%
- Hangar$36,0003%
- Insurance$20,0002%
- Aircraft management$48,0004%
- Charts, weather and tracking services$11,5001%
- Fuel$471,39039%
- Airframe maintenance allowance$116,55010%
- Engine hourly program$209,70017%
- Trip costs and 12-year inspection reserve$69,1506%
Fuel is the biggest single cost at 39% of the total.
The JetGrade
60 out of 100 — Below its class average
Peer group: Cessna Citation II (550), Cessna Citation S/II (S550), Cessna Citation V (560), Beechcraft Beechjet 400A, Learjet 35 / 35A
Seven categories at a glance
- - - 70 = typical— This aircraft
Strongest on speed & trip time, weakest on cabin & passenger comfort.
Grades are editorial opinions about the model, not any specific aircraft. Sponsors and affiliates have no input. Reviewed 2026-09-29.
Where it flies
Sample trips and reach
Typical trips on a map
Nonstop
Depends on weight or weather
Fuel stop likely
3 of 6 sample trips are comfortable nonstops.
Sample flight times
- 0.9 hr
Carlsbad → Las Vegas
205 nm · Short hop, well within range
- 1.9 hr
Carlsbad → Aspen
625 nm · Hot-and-high; depends on weight and weather
- 2.2 hr
Santa Ana → San José del Cabo
765 nm · Within range with typical loads
- 2.5 hr
Teterboro → West Palm Beach
900 nm · Within range with typical loads
- 3.3 hr
Dallas → Teterboro
1,190 nm · Near maximum range; light loads and good winds
- 5.5 hr
Carlsbad → Teterboro
2,100 nm · Needs one stop, typically mid-continent
Lineage
What came before and after
1988–1991
Learjet 31
35A fuselage on a winglet wing; only 38 built.
What changed from the Learjet 35 / 35A
- Winglet-equipped Longhorn wing from the Learjet 55 replaces the 35A's tip-tank wing.
- Carries about 2,076 lb less fuel than the 35A, cutting range by roughly 600 nm.
- Twin fins under the tail remove the need for a stick pusher.
- Certified to 51,000 ft, versus 45,000 ft for the 35A.
- Maximum takeoff weight of 15,500 lb, versus 18,000 lb for the 35A.
- Keeps the 35A's Garrett TFE731-2 engines, 3,500 lb of thrust each.
Size and cabin
How big it is, inside and out
Outside
Silhouette · scaled to length
Length
Wingspan
Height
Inside the cabin
Cabin length
Width
Height
Compare
How it stacks up
This aircraft
Learjet 31
- JetGrade
- 60
- Price
- $543K–$689K guide
- Cost per year
- $1.21M
- Range
- 1,631 nm
- Speed
- 448 kt
- Seats
- 6
- Cabin length
- 12′ 11″
- Pilots
- 2
- Years built
- 1988–1991
← Before
- JetGrade
- 67
- Price
- $581K–$920K guide
- Cost per year
- $1.31M
- Range
- 2,196 nm
- Speed
- 451 kt
- Seats
- 6
- Cabin length
- 12′ 11″
- Pilots
- 2
- Years built
- 1974–1993
After →
- JetGrade
- 64
- Price
- $760K
- Cost per year
- $1.47M
- Range
- 1,290 nm
- Speed
- 459 kt
- Seats
- 7
- Cabin length
- 12′ 11″
- Pilots
- 2
- Years built
- 1991–2003
Alternative
- JetGrade
- 67
- Price
- $895K
- Cost per year
- $919K
- Range
- 1,159 nm
- Speed
- 355 kt
- Seats
- 6
- Cabin length
- 15′ 9″
- Pilots
- 2
- Years built
- 1978–1994
- Learjet 31A instead: Same fuselage and wing with a digital cockpit, electric windshield heat and better ground handling; about 20 are advertised at similar prices.
- Learjet 35 / 35A instead: The same cabin with tip tanks holding about 2,076 lb more fuel, for roughly 600 nm more range.
- Cessna Citation II (550) instead: A longer cabin (about 15.75 ft versus 12.9 ft) and a much larger fleet, giving up the Learjet's speed and climb.
Gold marks the best figure in each row.
Owning one
What to know before you buy
Engines & inspections
2 × Honeywell (Garrett) TFE731-2-3B · 3,500 lbf each
No APUEngine hours until overhaul
- Phase A inspection · 300 hr
- Phase C inspection · 1,200 hr
- Engine beam repeat inspection · 1,200 hr
- Engine mid-life inspection · 1,400 hr
- Engine overhaul · 4,200 hr
- Wing and tail removal inspection · 12,000 hr
- 12-year inspection every 144 months
Most advertised aircraft have engines on Honeywell's hourly plan; those without it face large inspection bills and sell for noticeably less.
Known issues
Engine plan drives value
Engines not on an hourly plan face inspections every 1,400 hours and overhauls at 4,200 hours.
Costly structural inspections
The 12-year inspection runs about $90,000–$250,000; wing and tail removal at 12,000 hours up to $200,000.
Repeat engine-beam inspections
An FAA directive requires engine-beam crack checks every 1,200 hours unless a permanent fix is installed.
Pre-buy checklist
0 of 10 checked
Bombardier still holds the type certificate and supports older Learjets through its service centers, authorized shops and independent Learjet specialists, though rare parts can take time to find.
Review
The full review
Strengths
- Climbs at about 5,480 ft per minute and is certified to 51,000 ft, above most weather and traffic.
- Cruises at about 441–448 kt, so a 900 nm trip takes roughly 2.5 hours.
- Among the cheapest Learjets to buy: guide values run about $543,000–$689,000.
Limitations
- Cabin is only 4 ft 4 in tall and 4 ft 11 in wide, with about 30 cu ft of baggage space.
- Operators plan about 1,000 nm with passengers; coast-to-coast trips need a fuel stop.
- Only 38 were built, so buyers, specialist parts and resale comparisons are all scarce.
The Learjet 31 is the original version of Learjet's 30-series light jet, built from 1988 to 1991. It took the fuselage and Garrett TFE731-2 engines of the Learjet 35A and mated them to the winglet-equipped wing developed for the Learjet 55, adding two small fins under the tail. Only 38 were built before the improved 31A, with a digital cockpit and faster cruise, replaced it in 1991.
Pilot's take
Pilots describe the 31 as a sports car among light jets. With 7,000 lb of combined thrust and a clean wing, it climbs straight to the low 40,000s, and the fins under the tail give it docile low-speed handling that earlier Learjets lacked. The small cockpit and demanding type rating still call for a disciplined, well-trained two-pilot crew. The flip side is fuel: with passengers aboard, planning beyond about 1,000 nm gets tight, and winter headwinds shorten legs further. It rewards crews who plan carefully and fly it often.
Who this is for
An owner or small charter operator who flies one to four people on regional trips, wants Learjet speed and climb at an entry-level price, and has cash set aside for engine and structural inspections on a 1990-era airframe.
Ask about this aircraft
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