Bombardier has just unveiled its latest business jet, the Global 8000, recognised as the “fastest and longest-range” corporate aircraft since the days of Concorde.
The Canadian-based aircraft company in a statement on Monday said that this new jet would incorporate elements of its predecessor, the Global 7500, but with “incredible performance enhancements”.
Boasting a range of 8,000 nautical miles and a top speed of Mach 0.94, the jet is set to enter into service into 2025 and will be retrofittable into the 7500. The upgraded jet is a slight increase from the 7500’s range of 7,700NM.
“Today, Bombardier solidifies once more its position as the leader in business aviation with the newest member of the industry-leading Global family,” said Éric Martel, Bombardier’s president and chief executive officer.
“The Global 8000 aircraft leverages the outstanding attributes of the Global 7500 aircraft, providing our customers with a flagship aircraft of a new era. We remain unmatched, which for an innovation-focused team like us, is great.”
Martel also said during the launch event on Monday at the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition – the first in person EBACE event in three years – the unveiling of the jet is a response to customer demand.
“We listened to the customer. They’re very satisfied with the 7500 but they want more range and more speed. The time is right.”
Business aviation took a major hit from the pandemic after two years of border closures and the rise of online video conferencing. Some analysts feared it would never return to pre-COVID levels.
However, as international travel ramps up again and most nations are coming out of the other side of the crisis, business aviation is eyeing a slow return.
In May 2021, the new aircraft performed a demonstration flight with a 7500 flight test vehicle. Accompanied by a NASA F/A-18 chase jet, the 8000 repeatedly achieved speeds in excess of Mach 1.015, Bombardier touted.
The company also said the aircraft became the first transport category jet to fly supersonic on sustainable aviation fuels (SAF).
It is set to be able to fly passengers on more city pair routes, such as Dubai-Houston, Singapore-Los Angeles, London-Perth and more.
Supersonic passenger jets have received greater traction recently from commercial companies, years after the downfall of the legendary Concorde, in hopes that travel times could be cut by half.
Last June, United Airlines announced a deal struck with Denver-based Boom Supersonic for the purchase of 15 supersonic commercial passenger jets worth over US$3 billion.
Bombardier has been preparing to get this jet into service for quite some time but concentrated on the 7500 first which began operations in 2018. The company celebrated the 7500’s 100th delivery in late March.
