Dassault Aviation SA AM.FR +1.63% and Gulfstream are introducing improved versions of their high-end business jets as demand for the most expensive private aircraft remains robust.
Dassault Aviation said its new Falcon 8X will be able to connect Hong Kong with London or Moscow with Los Angeles, and offer the longest cabin of any of its business jets. "The Falcon 8X will be our new flagship," Dassault Aviation Chief Executive Eric Trappier said in a written statement.
The aircraft, an update to the company's Falcon 7X with improved engines and wings, is due for delivery in 2016 at a cost of about $57 million. In a market where satisfying extravagant customer wants trumps price, Mr. Trappier said the Falcon 8X "will feature the highest level of customization of any large cabin business jet on the market."
Enlarge Image
Gulfstream says its new G650ER will be the only business capable of traveling 7,500 nautical miles. GULFSTREAM
Gulfstream, the business-jet arm of General Dynamics Corp. GD +0.44% , said it is adding 500 nautical miles of range to its top-of-the-line G650. "It's the only business aircraft in the world capable of traveling 7,500 nautical miles," Scott Neal, the plane maker's senior vice president for world-wide sales, said in a written statement. The list price of the new jet is $66.5 million.
Both models were introduced Monday in Geneva at the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition, the industry's annual gathering in Europe.
The additional performance for the Gulfstream aircraft comes in part from upgrading the G650 jet's two engines built by Rolls-Royce Holdings RR.LN -0.50% PLC. The G650ER will be available starting early next year, and in-service aircraft can be upgraded to the higher performance standard, Gulfstream said.
Dassault, Gulfstream and Canada's Bombardier Inc. BBD.B.T 0.00% dominate the market for purpose-built business jets. The sector has been more resilient in the face of financial shocks compared with smaller business jets, for which demand has been more muted.
This year's event is likely to reinforce the view that "the light market is challenged while the larger-cabin market remains good," Wells Fargo analysts said last week.
By ROBERT WALL
Back to other news