How times change. The business aviation market seems to be hitting recovery mode, judging by the party atmosphere across both exhibit halls at EBACE’s Geneva Palexpo Centre. A general buzz surrounded stands staffed by OEMs such as Bombardier and Hawker-Beechcraft right through to charter operators and MRO companies. A larger attendance than previous years joined the 60 odd business aircraft on display in the static park, with representation by all manufacturers and models.
While not hosting high-profile new aircraft announcements that NBAA did last October, there were some new aircraft developments with Dassault launching their Falcon 2000S variant, a shorter-range and lower list price -2000LX. The aircraft has been in development for ‘1 to 1.5 years’, and continues to put-back launch of the new-build super mid-size ‘SMS’ model. The aircraft aims to compete with Bombardier’s Challenger 300. According the Ascend Online Fleets Database, there are 447 Falcon 2000 aircraft in service today (227 base-2000s, 4 -DXs, 26 –Exs, 119 –EX EASys, 70 –LXs, and 1 -S). During 2010, 29 Falcon 2000 aircraft (all LXs) were delivered, compared to just two deliveries in Q1 2011,
Meanwhile, the Canadian manufacturer Bombardier was also busy launching the new Global Vision cockpit, to become standard on the Global Express XRS (now re-named the Global 6000). Eight of the popular type were delivered in Q1 2011 and 40 throughout the whole of 2010. Today, there are 279 Global Express aircraft in service (6 –ASTORs, 133 –XRSs, 1 -6000, and 139 –base models).
Post-EBACE, attendees have alluded to the success of the event, but some feel there is still just a lot of ‘positive talk and spin’. For many, the real recovery will be underway when the light, to medium segments of the market follow the example of the top-end, which will see values recover as the significant numbers of business jets available for sale begin to trade.
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Stay tuned for specialist Ascend insight videos and interviews with Cessna, Hawker Beechcraft and Embraer from the EBACE show.