Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES
The first Boeing Business Jet 2 (BBJ 2) is set to be delivered "green" from its Renton final assembly line in Washington to DeCrane's modification site in Georgetown, Delaware, around February, according to Boeing. The announcement comes as interest appears to be growing in the 737-800 corporate derivative.
The BBJ 2, which is 5.9m (19.3ft) longer than the 737-700 based BBJ, will also require "minor strengthening" of the fuselage to take the auxiliary fuel tanks which are fitted at the DeCrane (formerly PATS) site. "There are a couple of doublers they have to install" says BBJ vice president sales, Lee Monson, who adds that the BBJ 2 is designed to take up to seven tanks compared to as many as nine in the basic BBJ.
Maximum take-off weight of the stretched aircraft will be 79,240kg (174,500lb), including a total allowance of 7,030kg for the interior - around 1,375kg higher than the BBJ.
Boeing Business Jets, which is expected to reveal new BBJ orders and a breakdown of BBJ 2 sales at the NBAA show in New Orleans in October, says it has "...sold out its BBJ 2 production for 2001." The aircraft is attracting "significant interest" from a variety of customers, including operators of corporate 727-200s. "We originally thought the BBJ 2 would be about 25% of our business jet production, but now it appears it could total 30%-35%," says Monson.
With 93.3m² (1,004ft²) of floor area, the BBJ 2 has 25% more cabin space than the BBJ, and around 100% more baggage space.
"We have seen some interest in the aircraft for corporate shuttle-type operations, in which it would be fitted with high density seating as well as a state room. We also have some operators who will order both. When we announced the programme (in October 1999), we had one customer who traded up from a BBJ already on order, to a BBJ 2," Monson says.
Boeing Business Jet is also revealing plans to establish a network of service centres to support the BBJ fleet, which numbers 16.
"We are looking at full-up service centres and affiliating with people who are capable of maintaining these aircraft," says Monson.
"They will be maintaining the in-flight entertainment systems, seats and interior systems rather than the aircraft itself, so we are looking particularly into affiliations with companies having that sort of expertise," he adds.
Source: Flight International
