John Rosanvallon has presided over three of the most successful years Dassault Falcon has ever had. And though he remains optimistic about the future, he believes the current financial crisis and high price of oil will impact on the business jet market worldwide.
He says: “2008 will contain a number of uncertainties, especially after coming from three successful years 2005 to 2007.” However, he notes that economic conditions were good for the first half of this year and the company received 87 firm orders, including 20 aircraft for NetJets. “We did well primarily in markets outside the US,” he says.
Despite the likely slowdown in sales, Dassault is experiencing steady growth internationally. One of the strongest markets for Falcon aircraft has been Brazil. According to Rosanvallon, last month’s LABACE demonstrated just how successful Falcon products have been in the region.
He says: “Brazil has been an important market for us in the past five years. We have a high market share there in the large-cabin long-range aircraft with more than a dozen 7Xs already delivered. We have a 70% share of the high-end aircraft market and maintain a dominant position there.” To support its customers in the region, Dassault revealed in August that it would establish a factory-owned Falcon Service Center at Sorocaba Airport in Sao Paulo.
Dassault has also gained market share in other regions. “Russia is excellent for us,” Rosanvallon says:, adding that Dassault has a strong order backlog and that it has seen few cancellations, despite the economic downturn. He says: “We are confident we will weather the storm and maintain production.” The manufacturer has said that it will ramp up production from 70 deliveries in 2007 to 120 by 2010.
Rosanvallon also cites another reason for the increasing popularity of Falcon jets. He says: One thing that is helping us is that for a number of years fuel efficiency was not a significant factor in the decision-making process. We have a strong fuel advantage over our competitors. For example, the G450 uses 50% more fuel than the 900LX. If you look at parallels in the automobile market, people are scaling down from SUVs.”
Source: Flight Daily News
