Dassault Aviation is increasing production of its business jet range to eight aircraft a month as the company heads for another record year in sales. Meanwhile, Dassault is working with its partner Embraer on the interior specifications for the Brazilian manufacturer's ECJ-135 Legacy business jet.
Dassault president Charles Edelsteene says the new extended range Falcon 2000EX, launched at this month's National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) convention in New Orleans, has already attracted a "good number" of options which "will become contracts in the coming months".
Orders for 32 Falcons have been taken since the end of June, bringing the total this year to 68. Projections for the year are between 80 and 100, of which "around 15" will go to the fractional ownership market, Edelsteene adds. The company's previous best year was 1998, with 99 orders.
Production has increased from five aircraft a month early last year to the present seven. Edelsteene says the decision to up the production rate to eight per month was taken "bearing in mind that the market cannot grow forever, but if aircraft take too long to deliver, we lose orders". Dassault is not planning a corresponding rise in its workforce. "The key is to maintain flexibility is to adjust production according to market demands."
Dassault has a 3.5% stake in Embraer and is providing the regional jet manufacturer with advice on the corporate jet market, and technical help on the interior design of the Legacy and the business jet derivative, the 50-seat ERJ-145 being studied currently. Edelsteene adds: "Embraer wants to address the business jet market and we're helping them."
Meanwhile, the strength of the dollar has meant that production costs at Dassault's Arkansas plant in the USA have risen. So the company has begun to transfer some of the work back to its French base in Bordeaux in a move designed to ensure the plants "concentrate on their specialisations", and production costs are minimised.
Source: Flight International
