Gulfstream is pulling no punches in its on-going battle with Bombardier over sales figures of each company's rival ultra long-range business jets.
Bryan Moss, Gulfstream's vice-chairman and president, has emphasised that firm orders and letters of intent (LoI) for the new Gulfstream V are valid sales to end-user customers. The company now has 68 firm orders and three LoIs.
Bombardier, which rolled out its Global Express ultra long-range business jet on the eve of Farnborough, says it has 53 orders. Moss, however, who came to Gulfstream from Bombardier, appears to dispute the Bombardier figures. "It is my belief that our ratio of orders to theirs is actually two to one," says Moss. "I was there and when I saw the original order book, two-thirds were to distributors, agents or unidentified end-users.
"We know our numbers and the numbers are valid," says Moss.
Gulfstream chairman Teddy Forstman adds that his company's orders are included in the registration statement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Gulfstream will make an initial public offering next month of a third of its stock.
"I am a very, very happy guy," says Forstman. "Where we are now exceeds my wildest hopes of three years ago."
Bombardier says it stands by its announced order book and points out that there are large, non-refundable deposits against each of those orders.
Source: Flight Daily News
