Luxaviation UK's G-KGKG: 2007-Built Embraer Legacy 600 Seats Up to 13 Passengers
Why It MattersA decades-old jet derived from a regional airliner staying in managed charter service shows how the used large-cabin market keeps such airframes productive, with specifications varying sharply across the Legacy line.
What happened
G-KGKG is an Embraer EMB-135BJ Legacy 600 operated by Luxaviation UK. BizJet Journal's aircraft database record identifies it as a 2007-built aircraft with manufacturer serial number 14500986 and a passenger capacity of 13. Legacy 600 is the commercial model name, while EMB-135BJ is the underlying aircraft designation.
Luxaviation UK announced the addition of G-KGKG to its managed fleet in 2019. The announcement described an Istanbul-based aircraft available for charter with a full-time crew, seating up to 13 passengers alongside three crew members. The operator linked the addition to demand for business and leisure travel involving Turkey and the Balkans, and to journeys between Europe and the Middle East.
Embraer gives the Legacy 600 a range of approximately 3,400 nautical miles (6,300 kilometres) with four passengers at long-range cruise and NBAA IFR reserves. The company describes the cabin as having three distinct zones, a wet galley and a baggage compartment accessible during flight.
The Legacy 600 emerged from Embraer's regional jet program, drawing on the ERJ 135 within the wider ERJ 145 family, and entered service in 2002. In its 2009 annual filing, Embraer described the regional jet platform as the foundation of its business aviation offering, highlighting maintainability and operating experience.
The wider Legacy family
Embraer developed the longer-range Legacy 650 from the Legacy 600 platform. The later Legacy 650E added flight deck and cabin improvements; Embraer's third-quarter 2017 report records delivery of the first Legacy 650E to Air Hamburg, with a listed range of 3,900 nautical miles.
The Legacy 450 and 500 followed a different path as clean-sheet designs with fly-by-wire controls and Collins Pro Line Fusion avionics. Embraer's 2021 annual filing identifies the Praetor 500 as the successor to the Legacy 450 and the Praetor 600 as the successor to the Legacy 500. G-KGKG belongs to the earlier regional jet-derived branch of the Legacy family.
Industry impact & what to watch
G-KGKG illustrates a common route into the charter market: an aircraft built in 2007 enters a managed fleet, where an operator supplies the crew and handles the commercial side while the owner keeps the airframe working. A jet with 13 seats and a three-zone cabin suits group travel and longer sectors that smaller cabins handle poorly, and the 2019 announcement tied it to Turkey, the Balkans and Europe-Middle East journeys.
The Legacy line also shows how much specifications differ within one family name. The 600 derives from a regional airliner, the 650E adds cabin and flight deck changes with a longer range, and the 450 and 500 are clean-sheet designs that later became Praetors. A buyer or charterer comparing 'Legacy' aircraft is comparing different machines, so range and equipment figures must be matched to the exact model.
The quoted 3,400 nautical mile range assumes four passengers, which makes it a ceiling rather than a planning number for a full cabin. Baggage, winds, runway conditions and reserves all reduce what a 13-passenger sector can cover. The Istanbul positioning dates from 2019, and current location, seating plan and availability are items for the operator to confirm.
