Bombardier’s Business Aircraft division is here at ILA buoyed by the seal of approval for its Global 5000 from the German government. And bullish about its future in the German business aviation market place.
The Global 5000 is here on the static display and from 2011, four of the aircraft will be in service with the Ministry of Defence’s Special Mission Wing for dual role VIP transport and MedEvac flights. The Global 5000s will replace the Wing’s existing Challenger 601s.
Bombardier’s German sales director Eckhard Breuer says that the “German business aviation market has grown year on year for the last three years. The market really picked up in 2004.
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Eckhard Breuer - German demand is growing |
“Our hot sellers are very much the Challenger 300 and the Global aircraft here,” he says.
And according to Bombardier, its aircraft represent 31% of the installed base here.
“German industry is very strong, and demand for business aircraft is growing. Even with the financial troubles elsewhere,” reckons Breuer.
“ILA is important because it’s a chance to say thank you to the German government for selecting our aircraft. It’s also important to showcase the aircraft. Berlin is an important city for Bombardier, it’s a headquarters for our Transportation arm too.
“It’s also a chance to show off the Chancellor’s jet, and that’s why we’ve put our aircraft next to the military aircraft display,” adds Breuer.
One of the key requirements for the contract was that the aircraft could connect Berlin and Washington DC non-stop, and in doing so the aircraft set a transatlantic speed record for the fastest time ever recorded for a civil flight between the city pair.
The Global 500 flew the 3,652nm (6,765km) trip in 8h 17m departing from this very airfield, during the contract proposal phase last November.
Breuer is also buoyant that the Learjet 85 will get a good reception here, not least in part because German aircraft manufacturer Grob is building the composite fuselages.
“The Learjet 85 has strong German connections and is in a good position in the market. We already have strong links with Germany and our aircraft. The Globals use Rolls-Royce Deutschland engines,” he says.
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Source: Flight Daily News