Rolls-Royce has underlined its position as the leading engine supplier in the competitive and growing business jet market.
At its booth (638) the company reiterated its position in taking the largest market share of business jet deliveries in 2005 – 34% based on the value of its share of last year’s estimated $2 billion corporate jet market.
“Rolls-Royce and its partner engines powered 200 of the nearly 750 corporate aircraft delivered in 2005,” confirms Ian Aitken, president of corporate and regional aircraft business. “In the same year we delivered more than 230 AE3007, Tay and BR710 engines to customers for business aircraft.”
The number of business jet types powered by the company – including joint venture engines with partners such as BMW – has increased from one to 15 in the last 10 years. “We continue to have the distinction of powering the world’s fastest and longest-range business aircraft as well as being the powerplant leader for the high-value long-to-medium range business jets,” adds Aitken.
He forecasts that 48,000 engines, valued at $61 billion, will be needed over the next two decades to meet demand for 23,000 new corporate jet aircraft. “Demand is also being fuelled by the business community’s increasing recognition of the value of using a business jet as a productivity tool,” he says.
Fractional ownership programmes, such as that offered by NetJets, are also expanding the market by lowering the cost of entry and ownership. And this has related to increased sales and requirements for new products.
“Rolls-Royce has powered five new business jet models into service in the last two years, including three in 2005 alone,” he says. “The Gulfstream G550, G500, G450 and G350 and Bombardier Global 5000 were all new aircraft powered by us.”
With emerging markets such as China, India and Russia looking to increase their demand for business jets as they grow their economies and airport infrastructures, the company is unlikely to see the demand for new business jet engines wane anytime soon.
Source: Flight Daily News
