Bombardier deliveries dipped by two units to 25 in the third quarter, but a 20 percent jump in aftermarket business kept revenues even at $1.5 billion from the same three-month period a year ago. At the same time, Bombardier maintained a book-to-bill of 1.3:1, growing backlog in the quarter by $300 million to $15 billion.
The Canadian manufacturer shipped two fewer Globals for a total of 13 in the quarter, but Challenger deliveries increased by four to a dozen. Meanwhile, the year-over-year delivery comparison continues to reflect the ending of Learjet production with four handed over in third-quarter 2021 versus none in the most recent quarter.
Despite what president and CEO Éric Martel described as a seasonally lighter third quarter, Bombardier anticipates a stronger fourth quarter with at least 47 deliveries and in line with its guidance of at least 120 deliveries for the year. Plans remain on track to ramp up production by 15 to 20 percent next year. Martel further maintained Bombardier is “well equipped to face any market condition ahead of us" with a two-year backlog across its lines providing a buffer in case of a major recession.
In the aftermarket, Bombardier brought in $372 million in the quarter, a number reflecting increased flight hours and its service center network growth.
With planned additions and no expectations to dispose of any of its current aircraft, NetJets is on track to have nearly 1,000 jets in its fleet by the end of next year, Patrick Gallagher—the fractional lift provider’s president of sales, marketing, and service—said yesterday at Corporate Jet Investor Miami. Presently, the company ;operates more than 850 aircraft worldwide between its U.S., European, and Executive Jet Management fleets.
According to Gallagher, NetJets will receive another 25 to 30 new jet deliveries by year-end, bringing the total fleet additions this year to about 75 aircraft. Next year, the company expects to intake more than 100 new-production jets. At these rates, NetJets accounts for approximately 12 percent of the industry’s jet production.
A year ago, the company halted all sales to concentrate on its existing customers, and while fractional sales have since resumed, Gallagher added that its inventory is sold out through 2023, with some interim leasing solutions still available. “We’re taking [non-refundable] deposits against 2024 deliveries at this point,” he said. That is a total reversal from 2008, when the company took delivery of 88 aircraft, none of which were pre-sold.
While its jet card sales are still being limited strictly to renewals, the operator expects that program to fully resume next year.
With the mid-October opening of FlyExclusive’s 48,000-sq-ft maintenance hangar, the fractional and charter provider’s MRO operation encompasses 150,000 sq ft in Kinston, North Carolina. Moreover, the additional space enables the MRO operation to broaden its capabilities and market, seeking to perform work on business aircraft that aren’t part of the company’s fleet of 92 Cessna Citations.
“Being able to expand this facility and have this extra 48,000 sq ft really helped us increase our types of capabilities that we can have access to, larger aircraft types can now come in here, we can now kind of organize, spread out, accommodate more capacity,” FlyExclusive senior director of MRO development Lisa Christine told AIN. “Lots of positive things.”
A Part 145 repair station for about a year and a half, FlyExclusive’s MRO can provide inspection, line and heavy maintenance, paint, and modifications, including Garmin G5000 avionics and SmartSky connectivity installations. “We’re working with others to be an authorized dealer,” said FlyExclusive senior v-p of MRO Bill Tollison.
The company’s MRO workforce over the past few years has grown from a couple of dozen workers to 266 employees. The MRO also began offering maintenance services to outside clients early this year. It was part of the reason Tollison and Christine were brought on by the company in January.
From email to streaming video, today’s business jet travelers demand the same connectivity experience in the cabin as they enjoy in their offices. The only way to meet that expectation is to use a network with the peak output capacity required to avoid data slowdowns.
Abu Dhabi, UAE-based charter firm Royal Jet has added another Boeing Business Jets BBJ, bringing the total number of such aircraft in its fleet to 13. Although it manages other aircraft in its BBJ portfolio, the group in this case has purchased the 19-passenger bizliner. Royal Jet made the BBJ announcement today on the sidelines of the Abu Dhabi Air Expo, a regional business aviation event that last took place in 2018.
Company CEO Mohammed Husain Ahmed said that throughout the last 12 months, demand had exceeded supply in the region’s premium aviation sector. “The overall health of the global private jet market has been strong, and growth is expected to increase as we move into a very busy period packed with events and conferences.”
Ahmed said the UAE’s leadership wished to support tourism and global trade by investing in building a strong logistics sector and that the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, which starts later this month, had led to a surge in demand in the Gulf Cooperation Council.
“In line with the UAE leadership’s vision, we are actively looking to expand our operations to serve our premium clientele,” he said. “Adding the new BBJ is a step in that direction.” Royal Jet also operates two Bombardier Global 5000s.
Aviation trailblazer and advocate Barrington Irving has teamed up with industry and community organizations to launch a professional and technical training center in South Florida to help build a pipeline of local, national, and international students in business aviation disciplines. Irving is partnering with NBAA, Miami-Dade County, Miami-Dade Aviation Department, Atlantic Aviation, and Bombardier on the center that organizers say will offer innovative programs and training approaches, along with specialized technical and professional certifications. Plans call for enrolling 100 students next year.
The collaboration involves several local entities from South Florida and is seeking additional partners to help in its mission of showcasing various aspects of business aviation. The center is the latest in numerous initiatives that Irving has undertaken to draw new students into the industry. Flying Classroom and Experience Aviation organizations that Irving has founded have led to more than 200 students finding positions in business aviation.
“I not only use business aviation to grow our company and recruit students to our industry, but I, along with our partners, are living testimony of how business aviation can help you achieve your highest self,” said Irving, who in 2007 became the youngest pilot to fly solo around the world in a single-engine airplane.
SmartSky’s air-to-ground (ATG) connectivity is now available for more than 300 Cessna Citation Xs and will eventually expand to the Wichita airframer’s other business jets and turboprops, the North Carolina-based company announced today. SmartSky installations on Citation Xs began this quarter and are available at 11 Textron Aviation service centers in the U.S.
The installations follow FAA approval of a Textron Aviation-owned supplemental type certificate (STC) for SmartSky on the Citation X. Charter and fractional operator FlyExclusive and Liberty Partners’ engineering team completed the STC.
SmartSky expects STCs for its ATG connectivity hardware and software to expand to other Citation models, including the Excel and Sovereign, and Beechcraft King Air B200/250/300/350-series turboprops. The company said the Citation X STC also highlights its plans to eventually make its ATG technology available for the more than 7,000 jets and turboprops across 14 models manufactured by Textron Aviation.
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Bell yesterday signed an agreement for the sale of 10 Bell 505 helicopters to the Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF) during the Special Operations Forces Exhibition & Conference (SOFEX) in Aqaba, Jordan. SOFEX was established by Jordan’s King Abdullah II, an active helicopter and fixed-wing pilot. The contract includes the aircraft, flight training device (FTD), and computer-based training package for basic and advanced rotorcraft flight training at the King Hussein Air College in Mafraq, Jordan.
“We look forward to adding the Bell 505 aircraft to our fleet and providing our pilots with one of the best possible aircraft for their training. The addition of 10 new aircraft will enable us to further expand our operations in the country, in turn increasing the capabilities of the Royal Jordanian Air Force,” said Brig. Gen. Mohammad F. Hiyasat, Commander of the RJAF.
Bell recently marked the 400th Model 505 delivery. The five-seat 505 cruises at 125 knots and has a 360 nm maximum range. As of February 2022, the delivered fleet had amassed more than 100,000 flight hours since certification in 2016. The light single helicopter is equipped with a Safran Arrius 2R engine and Garmin G1000 NXi avionics.
Zeusch Aviation in the Netherlands has received its air operator certificate (AOC), allowing the company to immediately use four of its seven Beechcraft King Air turboprops for medevac and charter flights. The AOC was awarded last month by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Netherlands.
“Earning the AOC has required us to have personnel, assets, and systems set in place to ensure the safety of our passengers, employees, and the general public,” said Zeusch managing director Herman van Kranenburg. “Receiving the AOC shows that we have worked diligently towards that goal.”
Before receiving its own AOC, Zeusch flew medevac operations under an EASA AOC in partnership with a UK-based air ambulance specialist and flew mapping, surveillance, and broadcast flights, which it will continue. The Netherlands AOC allows it to begin offering charter flights across Europe. It also plans to add an eighth King Air, a C90A, by the end of the year.
“We are now in a very strong position to expand our product portfolio to give our customers even greater choice,” van Kranenburg added. “Our aim is to be the best and largest King Air operator in Europe, and with the new AOC, we are one step closer to fulfilling our ambitions.”
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