When it comes to its ultimate business jet, Bombardier has been full of surprises – and for Global 7500 aircraft owners they have all been good ones. Unveiled as the clean-sheet Global 7000, the aircraft has consistently outperformed Bombardier’s original commitments. And with more than 150 delivered and a dispatch reliability rate of over 99.8%, this immaculate, proven business jet continues to outperform its competitors and set a high bar in the ultra-long-range segment.
“From the beginning, our engineers designed the Global 7500 aircraft to have a degree of tolerance in every aspect,” explains Julien Boudreault, Bombardier’s vice-president of program development. “This meant that over the years we were able to squeeze more and more performance from the aircraft, and we have ended up over-delivering on all our promises.”
In fact, the Global 7500 aircraft has exceeded its earliest specifications not just in range – that officially rose to 7,700 nautical miles (nm) (14,260 km), 300 nm more than Bombardier’s original pledge – but in cabin comfort, too. The spacious, luxurious interior with four living spaces offers operators more choices than any other business jet, insists Boudreault.
“We have a customer base that knows what it wants, which is usually something unique,” he says. “The way we have designed the Global 7500 aircraft means that we have the ability to say ‘yes’ when our competition might say ‘no.’ We can listen to their desires and say: ‘You know what, I think we can do that.’ It’s a much more pleasant conversation to have with the customer.”
The Global 7500 aircraft provides customers with the perfect blend of productivity and rest en route to their destination. The stunning cabin features four living spaces, as well as a separate crew rest area and a full-size kitchen. This means passengers benefit from having distinct rooms for meeting, entertainment, dining and sleeping – the latter with the all-important available full-sized bed for a long-haul flight, as well as ensuite bathroom and optional shower.
However, layouts can be customized to make each aircraft as individual as its owner. “We have the ability to modify each zone,” says Boudreault. “We sit down and listen to what the customer wants. If it is beyond what our library offers, we look at whether we can do it. Very often we can, and then that adaptation becomes part of our offering to future customers.”
The Global 7500 aircraft’s interior is all about ensuring passengers feel productive, relaxed, and rested on a long flight. The aircraft is essentially your home or office in the sky, allowing passengers to stay connected to the world below and seamlessly carry out business in the air without compromising on professional, family or leisure time. Jet lag-alleviating features include the Soleil lighting system, designed to help synchronize your internal body clock. Meanwhile, Bombardier’s l’Opéra, developed specifically for the Global 7500 aircraft, is the first audio system in business aviation that features full-range speakers and seat-centric sound technology, creating the ultimate entertainment experience. The Global 7500 aircraft also offers passengers a worry-free oasis en route, with its Pũr Air and advanced HEPA filter technology.
Bombardier describes the Global 7500 aircraft as “designed from the inside out.” However, while the interior is best-in-class, the aircraft looks pretty striking on the ramp too, thanks partly to its distinctive and elegant, tapered wings. These have a thin surface that reduces drag and increases take-off and landing capabilities without compromising range, payload or speed.
The Global 7500 aircraft’s high-speed Smooth Flĕx Wing also helps deliver the smoothest ride of any business jet. “Bombardier is known for its flexible wing – it is one of our core competencies,” says Boudreault. “The wing is better at absorbing air turbulence or, in fact, any air movement, as those who have flown one way on the Global 7500 aircraft and back on someone else’s product in similar conditions will attest.”
At 7,700 nm, the Global 7500 jet tops the range table for in-service business jets. The aircraft has even gone further, holding the title for the longest city pair flight in business aviation – Sydney to Detroit – a distance of 8,225 nm on a single tank of fuel, achieved in October 2019.
The Global 7500 aircraft’s speed records include 3h 54min trip from Los Angeles to New York, and 5h 26min journey from New York to London. The aircraft also recently set more than 20 speed records around the world*. Meanwhile, the first and longest non-stop flight from London City to Los Angeles highlighted the aircraft’s exceptional short-field performance, as the downtown airport has a famously modest, 1,500 metre runway and is bordered by tall office buildings.
After more than 115,000 flying hours for the fleet, Bombardier’s success in squeezing ever more performance from the Global 7500 is about to take the next crucial step, with the arrival of the Global 8000 aircraft. Due to enter service in 2025, the 8,000 nm-range business jet is the latest iteration of what began as the Global 7000. The Global 8000 will replace the Global 7500 as the airframer’s flagship business jet.
The original Global 8000 business aircraft was conceived as a longer-range sister ship to the Global 7000 aircraft. That Bombardier has been able to offer a 300 nm step up in range (and offer a top speed of Mach 0.94) while making only tiny adaptations to the structure and dimensions of the original aircraft, is testament to the company’s engineering prowess and philosophy of continuous improvement.
While the Global 8000 aircraft will take the place of the Global 7500 jet on the assembly line, existing Global 7500 aircraft operators will be able to upgrade to the Global 8000 aircraft specification with little fuss, says Boudreault. The Global 8000 aircraft performance and range enhancement upgrade will be available through a service bulletin at all Bombardier service centres. “Global 7500 aircraft owners can choose the upgrade from our first delivered aircraft,” he says. “Because it’s a design that has had the capability to grow from the very beginning, the adaptation can be done quickly.”
For Global 7500 aircraft customers that has come as yet another very pleasant surprise.
*Records are pending approval by National Aeronautic Association (NAA)
