What Type Of Private Jet Does Shaquille O'Neal Fly? (2024)

Shaquille O'Neal is one of the most famous National Basketball Association (NBA) players of all time. The seven-foot-one-inch center dominated the paint for nearly twenty years. After his NBA career, Shaq became a prominent figure as a sports analyst on the famous television program called Inside the NBA.

Born on March 6, 1972, O'Neal was born to a family with both parents over six feet tall in Newark, New Jersey. By age 15, O'Neal was already six feet ten inches tall and playing basketball at his local high school. Shaq led his team to a 68-1 record in his final two years, including a Texas State Championship. He also set the state record for rebounds in a season. His dominance at the high school level led to O'Neal playing college basketball at Louisiana State University (LSU).

After a year at LSU, the Orlando Magic drafted Shaq with the first overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft. Shaq continued his dominance immediately in the NBA, winning Rookie of the Year and becoming an All-Star starter. He even led the Magic to the NBA finals in 1995.

However, Shaq is most known for his role with the Los Angeles Lakers. Along with his teammate Kobe Bryant, the Lakers won three NBA Championships, in 2000, 2001, and 2002. After a feud with Bryant, O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat, where he won another NBA Championship in 2006. O'Neal would jump between teams in the final years of his career, playing for the Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Boston Celtics. Overall, Shaq's accolades include being an NBA MVP in 2000, 15 NBA All-Stars, and eight ALL-NBA first teams, and his number has been retired by three teams.

Shaq's dominance on the court and smart financial decisions throughout his career have led him to become one of the wealthiest NBA players. His net worth is estimated to be around $500 million. Because of this, it is no wonder that O'Neal utilizes a business jet for ease and flexibility of transportation, especially as he continues building his business and television careers. Let's take a closer look at the unique private jet that Shaq operates.

Shaq's aircraft

The aircraft that Shaq operates is a Bombardier Challenger 605. This aircraft was originally built in 2010 and is registered as N3250N. This aircraft has a serial number of 5849 and falls under the heavy business jet class. Officially, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) registered owner is listed as the Bank of Utah Trustee, although JetSpy lists Shaquille O'Neal as the operator of this private jet.

Photo: InsectWorld | Shutterstock

According to JetSpy, this aircraft has had a busy 2024. So far this year, N3250N has conducted a total of 84 flights that lasted a total of 167 flight hours. These flights have used nearly 60,000 gallons of aviation fuel. This amounts to just under 575 metric tons of carbon emissions.

Additionally, the top three most-visited airports for this specific Challenger 605 are:

1. DeKalb Peachtree Airport (PDK) in Atlanta, Georgia
2. Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport (FLL) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
3. Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas, Nevada

About the Bombardier Challenger 600

The Challenger 600 series is one of Bombardier's most popular aircraft families. The aircraft was first conceptualized by Bill Lear, a famous aircraft designer and the founder of Learjet, in the 1970s. It was designed when Lear was still an employee at LearJet, although he lacked the ability to launch the jet. The design was sold to Canadair in 1976 and the program was officially launched later that year.

Photo Mike Fuchslocher l Shutterstock

The complete design process took several years, with several necessary design changes incorporated. The first prototype conducted its maiden flight in 1978 and customers began placing orders for the business jet. By the time the aircraft was officially introduced in 1980, over 100 orders had been received.

In 1986, Bombardier acquired Canadair, and the company elected to continue production of the Challenger series. Since then, Bombardier has released continuous upgrades of the aircraft, including the Challenger 605 and, most recently, the Challenger 650. The Challenger 600-series was also developed into a regional airliner, which grew to become the popular CRJ100 series.

Performance specifications of the Bombardier Challenger 605

The Challenger 605 was first introduced in early 2006. This variant was similar to other earlier Challengers, but it had a revamped airframe, which included a new tailcone and larger windows. It also incorporated an updated avionics suite, using the Collins Pro Line 21 avionics system. Per Global Air, the Challenger 605 had the following performance specifications:

The heavy business jet utilizes two General Electric CF34-3B turbofan engines. These powerful engines help the aircraft achieve impressive take off and landing measures, as the Challenger 605 can take off on runways that are 5,840 feet long and can land on runways that are just over 3,830 feet long.