PAUL LEWIS / MONTREAL & GRAHAM WARWICK / WASHINGTON DC
Bombardier confirms plans to replace light business aircraft as newer competitors make headway in its market
Bombardier has made replacing the Learjet 31A light business aircraft its next developmental priority and is expected to unveil its plans shortly. In the meantime, the Canadian company faces around a three-month slip in certification of the new Continental super mid-size jet but remains bullish about its success as the economic recovery generates renewed demand for larger business aircraft.
There has been growing speculation that Bombardier's next planned development would be a successor to the Learjet 31 and confirmation of this was given by Pierre Beaudoin, Bombardier aerospace president, to Flight International. "It is a priority and we're finalising our plans. This will be our next announcement," he says.
Sales of the Learjet 31A have been falling in recent years, made worse by the events of 11 September which have particularly affected the light end of the business aircraft market. The company says the eight- to 10-seat aircraft is finding it difficult to compete with the newer Cessna Citation CJ2 and Raytheon Premier I.
Beaudoin gives no details about the planned follow-on, but it is believed the aircraft will be a variant of the Learjet 45, incorporating a shorter fuselage and the same Honeywell TFE731-20/40-series engines. Possibly designated the Learjet 40, the programme could be launched before or at next month's Farnborough air show, although Beaudoin says: "I'm not ready to say."
The development of the larger Continental, which has followed an aggressive flight test schedule involving five aircraft flying 1,800h, has faced challenges, says Beaudoin. Bombardier expects certification in the fourth quarter of this year and service entry in the second quarter of next year - a three month slide on the original schedule.
The first 11 of 125 Continentals sold to date are to be delivered to Bombardier's Flexjet fractional programme, which could provide room to resolve any early operating issues.
Rival Raytheon's Hawker Horizon is facing an even longer delay, having been launched a year before the Continental. It is unlikely to be certificated before the end of 2003.
Source: Flight International
