Boeing Business Jet (BBJ, BBJ2, BBJ3)

Updated: October 2026 – A 737 taxis onto the apron of the business aviation terminal: spotless white, no airline, a registration that begins with VP-B or M-, and a set of stairs at the door instead of a jet bridge. In all likelihood you are looking at a Boeing Business Jet, BBJ for short – the VIP version of the 737 flown by corporations, private individuals and many governments. This page explains the three variants based on the 737 Next Generation, shows how to tell them from airline 737s and the Airbus competition, and reveals where you are most likely to get them in front of your lens in Europe.

What is the Boeing Business Jet?

The BBJ is a Boeing 737 that does not go to an airline but is built as a business travel, VIP or government aircraft. The idea dates from 1996: in July 1996, Boeing and General Electric founded the joint venture Boeing Business Jets to develop and market a corporate version of the 737. The clever part: instead of a classic business jet with a narrow tube, the customer gets the fuselage cross-section of an airliner – enough room for a lounge, conference table, bedroom and shower.

Technically, the first BBJ was a clever building-block system. It uses the 737-700 fuselage but combines it with the reinforced wing and landing gear of the larger 737-800. That lets the jet take off heavier, and the additional weight goes into auxiliary tanks in the cargo hold. According to Boeing, the BBJ thereby managed more than 6,000 nautical miles, so a good 11,000 kilometers – almost double a normal 737-700. The manufacturer quoted Mach 0.82 as the maximum cruise speed.

The first BBJ flew on September 4, 1998. At the end of October 1998, the US FAA and the European Joint Aviation Authorities granted certification, and in November 1998 Boeing delivered the first two aircraft in a single week: one to program partner GE, one to an unnamed customer. Like all 737 Next Generations, the BBJ is powered by two CFM56-7B engines from CFM International.

BBJ, BBJ2 and BBJ3 at a glance

With the success of the first model came longer versions. On October 11, 1999, Boeing launched the BBJ2 based on the 737-800. It is almost six meters longer than the BBJ and offers correspondingly more cabin area; the first aircraft went to its customer in February 2001. Later came the BBJ3, derived from the 737-900ER and a good two and a half meters longer again. More fuselage means more weight, which is why the BBJ2 and BBJ3 fly somewhat shorter distances than the original BBJ.

The short BBJ made up the bulk of NG production. According to figures cited in reference works, around 113 deliveries were the BBJ, 23 the BBJ2 and seven the BBJ3. Boeing delivered the last NG-based BBJ in 2021. Since then the manufacturer has sold the business jet based on the 737 MAX – but the NG versions will stay in service for a long time and are the BBJs you see most often.

Feature	BBJ (BBJ1)	BBJ2	BBJ3
Basis	737-700, wing and landing gear of the 737-800	737-800	737-900ER
ICAO type designator	B737	B738	B739
Length	33.63 m	39.47 m	42.11 m
Overwing exits (per side, airline version)	1	2	2
First delivery	November 1998	February 2001	after the BBJ2
Delivered (approx.)	113	23	7
Range	a good 11,000 km (manufacturer)	somewhat less	somewhat less

A detail for connoisseurs: the blended winglets from Aviation Partners became standard on the BBJ early on and then the well-known option for the airline 737. How the different wingtips look is explained in the guide Recognizing winglets, sharklets and split scimitars.

How to recognize a BBJ

Right up front: on the aircraft itself, the BBJ hardly differs from an airline 737. The tanks sit invisibly in the cargo hold, and fuselage and tail are identical. Identification therefore works in two steps – first confirm the basic 737 NG type, then the purpose.

Why so many VIP jets are registered in Bermuda, the Isle of Man or Malta is explained in the article on offshore registrations. How to find a particular aircraft live by its registration or hex code is shown in the guide Tracking an aircraft by registration.

BBJ, ACJ or airline 737?

The direct competitor is the Airbus ACJ319, and for larger cabins also the ACJ320neo. Size and purpose are similar, but the manufacturer features are clear. The finder helps you narrow it down.

Classic long-range business jets like the Gulfstream G650 or the Bombardier Global 7500 are much smaller and carry their engines at the tail – more in the guide Telling business jet types apart. The Boeing C-40 Clipper plays a special role: the US Air Force’s C-40B and C-40C variants are based on the BBJ and are in effect military business jets.

The BBJ as a government aircraft

For states, the BBJ is a good compromise: big enough for a delegation, security staff and press, much cheaper to operate than a widebody jet, and thanks to the worldwide 737 fleet, maintenance and spare parts can be arranged almost anywhere. The list of government operators is correspondingly long. A selection based on publicly available fleet lists:

Country	Operator	Type / serial
Netherlands	Government, flown by KLM pilots	737-700 BBJ PH-GOV, since 2019
Poland	Polish Air Force	two BBJ2s, plus a 737-800
South Africa	South African Air Force	737-700 BBJ ZS-RSA “Inkwazi”
Colombia	Colombian Air Force	737-700 BBJ FAC-0001
Tunisia	Government	737 BBJ TS-IOO
USA	US Air Force	C-40B and C-40C on a BBJ basis
Australia	Royal Australian Air Force	long two BBJs, since 2024 switching to two 737 MAX 8s

In addition there are BBJs in states such as India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Morocco, Malaysia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. Many of these fleets are being converted, sold or replaced by newer types – so check current fleet lists before a tour.

Germany, by the way, is not a BBJ country: the Flugbereitschaft of the BMVg (the German Federal Ministry of Defense’s air transport wing) relies on Airbus and Bombardier for its government jets. If you want to photograph a state BBJ in Germany, you wait for visits by foreign delegations. How to plan such events is in the guide Spotting government aircraft. On a tracker, government flights often carry their own callsign instead of a flight number – what is behind that is explained in the article Callsign and flight number.

Completion: where the BBJ gets its cabin

Boeing delivers the BBJ as a “green” aircraft – technically finished, but without interior and often without final paint. The individual outfitting is done by specialized completion centers. Already at the first deliveries in 1998, Boeing named, among others, Lufthansa Technik in Hamburg and Jet Aviation in Basel for this. No BBJ is like another inside: the range runs from conference areas and bedrooms to cabins that are more like a living room.

For spotters in central Europe, that is an advantage. Around Hamburg Airport and EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse, VIP jets keep turning up during outfitting and maintenance phases – sometimes still without final paint, sometimes freshly finished for workshop flights. It cannot be planned, but anyone who is on site regularly has a good chance. In Hamburg, the observation deck is worthwhile as a starting point.

Spotting at business aviation terminals

The BBJ is a classic event aircraft. There is no fixed schedule, but certain airports and occasions increase your hit rate considerably.

Geneva: Europe’s business aviation stage

Geneva Airport is one of the airports with an especially large amount of business aviation in Europe. International organizations, conferences and private traffic to the Alps regularly bring widebody and narrowbody VIP jets. From the observation deck you have the runway and aprons in view; more locations are in the spotting guide for Geneva.

Zurich and other destinations

At Zurich Airport, the number of VIP jets rises noticeably during large conferences. A popular spot for landings is the Butzenbüel. Besides that, airports where trade fairs, major sporting events or vacation seasons attract many private jets are worthwhile. Basics on parking areas, terminals and tactics are in the guide Spotting business jets.

Whether your vantage point is legally unproblematic is answered in the article Is plane spotting allowed?. Especially during government visits, additional security areas often apply – follow barriers and instructions.

Photo tips for the BBJ

A BBJ is not a rare type in itself, but every single aircraft is unique. That is why what counts in photos is above all what makes it one of a kind.

When the light suits your spot, you can calculate in advance with the guide Planning sun position for your photo spot. What gear you need is in the plane spotting gear checklist.

Common mix-ups and how to rule them out

Conclusion

The Boeing Business Jet is a 737 in a tailored suit: outwardly almost identical to the airline version, inside a flying office or a government chancellery. The BBJ, BBJ2 and BBJ3 differ mainly in fuselage length; as VIP jets they give themselves away through livery, registration and parking spot. Anyone who keeps an eye on summits, conferences and business aviation airports like Geneva has a good chance of a sighting.