Very light jet developer vows to fight on as Eclipse unveils interior for rival aircraft
Safire Aircraft is planning its second restructuring in three months after talks with potential investors from Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates collapsed last month. The investors stepped in two months ago with plans to fund development of the Safire very light jet through to certification, but the terms of funding were understood to be unacceptable to existing Safire shareholders.
Camillo Salomon, president and chief executive of Miami, Florida-based Safire, dismisses rumours that the company is to file for bankruptcy. "We are restructuring again," he says, "but under no circumstances will we consider bankruptcy. We will not give up."
Salomon says he is pursuing a back-up plan and is negotiating a deal with new undisclosed investors to continue development of the twinjet. Safire's earlier restructuring effort was designed to drum up sales and meet its first flight deadline, then set for 30 September.
Meanwhile, Eclipse Aviation has unveiled four interior designs and optional furnishings for its $1.18 million Eclipse 500 very light jet. Conceived by US-based design companies IDEO and BMW Design worksUSA, the interiors are available in two editions - Standard and the upgraded LX, which costs an extra $39,000. Eclipse has appointed C&D Aerospace to produce the interiors, which it says "will be assembled through a strategic sequence that significantly reduces overall installation time". In-service removal, maintenance and replacement will be straightforward and inexpensive, says Eclipse.
KATE SARSFIELD / LONDON
Source: Flight International
