Bombardier Business Aircraft recently conducted a demonstration tour of Australia with its Global 6000 business jet, with the aircraft stopping in Melbourne and Sydney in early May.
Powered by two Rolls-Royce BR710A2-20 turbofans, the Global 6000 is capable of seating up to 17 passengers and has a maximum range with eight passengers of 6,000nm. It has a top speed of 0.89 Mach and a typical cruising speed of 0.85 Mach, with a maximum operating altitude of 51,000ft.
“The purpose of the tour in Sydney is to showcase the impressive features of the Global 6000 aircraft and how well suited it is for the Australian region,” a Bombardier Business Aircraft spokesperson told Australian Aviation via email.
“With a class leading combination of range, speed and reliability, the Global 6000 aircraft is the largest business jet that can fly from Melbourne to Shanghai, Melbourne to Mumbai, Melbourne to Tokyo, Sydney to Honolulu and Sydney to Beijing with eight passengers and four crew at M 0.85 cruise speed.”
The spokesperson said there were, as of the first quarter of calendar 2018, 76 Bombardier Business Aircraft in Australia. Of those, 26 were from the Global line-up, which currently comprises the Global Express, Global 5000 and Global 6000.
More broadly, there are about 145 Bombardier Business Aircraft in the Asia Pacific region.
Looking further ahead, the spokesperson said forecast gross domestic product (GDP) growth for the Australian and broader Asia Pacific economy would support demand for business jets.
“In 2017, the Australian GDP grew to 2.3 per cent and the forecasted compound annual growth rate for Asia Pacific is 2.1 per cent from 2017 to 2026,” the spokesperson said.
“Bombardier Business Aircraft anticipates 150 deliveries during that period, generating $6 billion in revenues for the business jet industry, with large aircraft expected to make up 65 per cent of the deliveries during the 10-year period.”
Meanwhile, Bombardier Business Aircraft is currently in flight testing for the latest aircraft in the product Global range, the Global 7000.
The Global 7000, which is designed for up to 19 passengers and four crew and a maximum range with eight passengers of 7,700nm (now 300nm further than the originally planned 7,400nm, and pipping the Gulfstream G650ER’s 7,500nm). It will have GE Passport 20 engines that have 16,500lb of thrust.
Currently, there are five aircraft in the flight fleet, with the program having accumulated more than 2,000 hours of flight testing, the spokesperson said.
“The FTVs continue to perform extremely well and have been demonstrating significant maturity, reliability and smooth ride capability, which is in full support of the planned certification activities,” the spokesperson said.
The Global 7000 was launched in 2010, with entry into service planned at the time planned for 2016.
However, in 2015 Bombardier Business Aircraft opted to redesign the aircraft’s wing, which, coupled with the complex nature of the clean-sheet design, led to a two-year delay.
VIDEO: A look at the first flight of the Global 7000, as shown on the Bombardier Aerospace YouTube channel.
The spokesperson said reaction to the Global 7000 and the mockup of the cabin had been “overwhelmingly positive”.
“The Global 7000 aircraft is on track to enter service during the second half of 2018,” the spokesperson said.
“The industry has shown great interest in the Global 7000. It is hands down the best aircraft and is in a class of its own.
“There is also heightened interest because of the Global 7000 aircraft’s superior range, which allows for access to Dubai from Sydney, Riyadh from Melbourne, as well as access to Athens and Moscow from Perth.”