Bombardier’s largest purpose-built business jet is not scheduled to enter service until next year, but the Global 7000 is already making waves among potential competitors as the first flight test vehicle makes its debut at the show.
The 33.9m-long Global 7000 pushes Bombardier into a size class normally reserved for derivatives of commercial aircraft, such as the 33.9m-long Airbus ACJ319neo and the 33.7m-long Boeing Business Jet (BBJ).
“When you look behind me, it’s 111ft 2in from tip to tail. It has an impressive wingspan of over 104ft and it has four dedicated living spaces," said Bombardier Business Aircraft president David Coleal, speaking to journalists on Sunday at the static display. "No other business jet rivals the Global 7000 aircraft. It is redefining the segment in performance, smooth ride and interior comfort,”
Those characteristics already have captured the industry’s attention. In prepared marks for release today, Airbus Corporates Jets redirected its traditional criticism of the BBJ to private jets, noting what it considers the ACJ319neo’s advantages over other ultra-long-range, large-cabin products.
The fresh attacks from Airbus recall the company’s commercial confrontation with the Bombardier CSeries since 2008. In 2015, Airbus chief operating officer – customers, John Leahy, attacked the CSeries as an “orphan”. Boeing has been even more aggressive on the legal front, launching a trade case at the US Commerce Department against a Bombardier deal to sell CSeries aircraft to Delta Air Lines.
Unlike the commercial scenario, Bombardier Business Aircraft is one of the dominant players in the large cabin market, with deliveries of 50 Global 5000 and 6000 business jets annually. The backlog for the Global 7000 is sold out until 2021 after deliveries begin by the end of 2018, Coleal says.
Besides Bombardier’s claims of lower operating costs and a purpose-built business jet cabin, the profile of the Global 7000 also offers superior “ramp appeal”, says Brad Nolen, Bombardier’s vice-president of marketing and communications.
“There’s a lot of our customers who would prefer to roll up to the ramp in an airplane of that size,” Nolen says.
The Global 7000 on display is Bombardier’s fourth flight test vehicle, and the first to feature a production-representative interior.
“Tests are showing an exceptionally high level of system reliability,” Coleal says.
Source: Flight Daily News
