Hawker Beechcraft has announced that the European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA) has granted type certification to the Hawker 800XPR, and that customer deliveries of the aircraft have commenced.
The EASA certification of the XPR upgrade follows that of the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in August. The upgrade comprises the incorporation of new Honeywell TFE731-50R engines which replace the former TFE731-5BRs, and aerodynamic improvements including winglets.
“We are very excited to follow up our recent FAA certification with EASA as this opens up significant opportunity for the modification,” said Christi Tannahill, Hawker Beechcraft vice president, global customer support in a statement. “Achieving Hawker 800XPR EASA certification enabled us to begin our first customer deliveries.”
The new engines provide improved performance and reliability, as well as a seven per cent reduction in fuel consumption and a 32 per cent reduction in Honeywell’s minimum Maintenance Service Plan (MSP) costs.
Hawker Beechcraft is also offering new optional avionics, custom interior and paint designs as part of the upgrade.
