Bombardier is preparing to deliver the first Learjet 70 business jets, following certification of the light-cabin aircraft on 12 December.
The validation of the revamped Learjet 40 comes a month after its super-light stablemate – the Learjet 75 – clinched US approval. Deliveries of the seven-seat aircraft – itself an upgraded version of the Learjet 45 – began on 3 December.
Bombardier will be hoping its remodelled light cabin offering, which features more powerful Honeywell TFE731-40BR engines, a Garmin G5000-based Vision flightdeck and a new interior will help reinvigorate the beleaguered business aircraft sector. According to Flightglobal’s Ascend Online Fleets database, the Learjet 75 is the more popular of the two, with 39 orders and a handful of aircraft already in service. Bombardier has secured 10 orders so far for the Learjet 70, Ascend reveals.
The Learjet 70 and 75 – both unveiled in May 2012 – are among several new or upgraded business jets being developed by Bombardier.
The others are the all-new midsize Learjet 85 – which is poised to make its first flight before year-end – the updated super-midsize Challenger 350, now flying and scheduled for delivery in 2014, and the ultra-long-range, large-cabin Global 7000 and 8000, which are earmarked for certification in 2016 and 2017, respectively.
The company is also believed to be developing a revamped version of its large-cabin Challenger 605, which could be unveiled next year.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
