Alan Peaford
Bombardier yesterday clinched its biggest-ever corporate aircraft deal when it announced a 10-aircraft order worth more than $250 million at the show.
The order - for five Global Expresses and five Challenger 604s - came from TAG, Bom-bardier's Middle East distributor, and takes the order book for the world's longest-range business jet to more than 70.
The Global Express - 9004 - is due to arrive in Dubai this morning after a flight from Wichita via London. It will join the Challenger 604, the Canadair-SE, and the Learjet 60 on the static display. The aircraft is fully fitted-out.
Mansour Ojjeh, president of TAG, says: "Our customers in the Gulf region and the Kingdom are convinced that the Global Express is the superior aircraft in its class. This is translating into higher sales."
TAG was the launch customer for Global Express at Dubai '93 when it ordered five, with options for five more.
Bombardier business aircraft president Michael Graff says sales of the Challenger and Global Express in the Middle East have seen Bom-bardier take more than 60% of the market.
"We are outselling our competitors, Gulfstream and Dassault, by more than three to one," he claims.
The four test aircraft are achieving better-than-planned results.
Top speed has increased from the projected Mach 0.89 to Mach 0.955 and take-off field length has shortened from 1,690m (5,550ft) to 1,604m (5,260ft).
At yesterday's press confer-ence, the company also revealed it has increased the number of aircraft in its North American fractional ownership programme, Business Jet Solutions, from 40 to 60 and will be inviting Middle Eastern owners with business in the USA to take up places in the programme.
This would enable them to use a Global Express to fly to the USA and then, under the fractional programme, use other aircraft as required.
Source: Flight Daily News
