Fairchild Aerospace has won its first sale in the Middle East of the Envoy 7 business jet. The US company announced at the show that the Safadi Holding Group of Beirut, Lebanon, has signed a letter of intent to buy a single corporate version of the 728JET 70-seat regional airliner. The aircraft is due for delivery in 2003. The deal brings the Envoy 7 order book to 29.
The US manufacturer is to begin its critical design review for the 728JET by the end of November. This should be completed early next year, to be followed by the start of manufacture of the first prototype in the second quarter of the year. With flight testing scheduled to start in mid-2001, the manufacturer is aiming for US and European certification in 2002, closely followed by first deliveries. The launch customer is Lufthansa, which has placed 60 firm orders with 60 options.
Source: Flight International
