Kate Sarsfield/LONDON
Executive Jet's relentless appetite for major business aircraft orders for its NetJets fractional ownership programme looks set to continue at the forthcoming National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Convention to be held on 19-21 October in Las Vegas, Nevada, with an order for the $35 million Boeing Business Jet (BBJ).
The deal is for nine aircraft initially, but this could ultimately be tripled if market conditions are deemed suitable. Boeing's orderbook stands at 35 aircraft.
The agreement follows two major business aircraft orders at the Farnborough air show in September, when Montvale, New Jersey-based Executive Jet bought 12 Dassault Falcon 2000s and 20 Raytheon Hawker 800XPs.
The world's largest fractional ownership company, acquired by investor Warren Buffet in July for $725 million, has now ordered around 295 aircraft, valued at more than $4 billion.
Executive Jets is also expected to announce its choice of BBJ completion centre at NBAA, where the ultra-long-range aircraft is expected to make its debut. Contenders for this multi-million dollar contract include Germany's Lufthansa Technik, US-based Jet Aviation and Raytheon. According to an industry source, the first "green" NetJets BBJ is scheduled for delivery to the completion centre in the last quarter of 1999.
Source: Flight International
