BUSINESS AVIATION
flightglobal.com 3-9 March 2020 | Flight International | 25
January spree
lifts Airbus spirits
Data View P26Business jet deliveries by
manufacturer
2018 2019
Airbus 16
Boeing 62
Bombardier 137 142
Cessna^188206
Cirrus 63 81
Dassault 41 40
Embraer 91 109
Gulfstream 121 147
Honda^3736
Pilatus 18 40
Source: GAMAProduction of the Global 6500
will also ramp up in 2020, when
it will be joined in service by its
recently certificated and smaller
stablemate, the 5500. The pair
were launched in May 2018 as
longer-range versions of the Glob-
al 5000 and 6000, featuring new
wings, Rolls-Royce Pearl 15 en-
gines, revamped interiors and
new wings.
Dassault is hoping its in-devel-
opment, superwide-cabin 6X –
set for service entry in 2020 – will
have a positive effect on its
Falcon output, following another
underwhelming year. Fierce
competition in the large-cabin
sector saw deliveries of its
twin-engined 2000LXS/S and
900LX, and 7X and 8X trijets fall
to 40 aircraft, compared with 41
in 2018.
Airbus recorded its strongest
delivery performance since 2013
thanks to the arrival of the long-
awaited ACJneo family. Six
examples of the re-engined nar-
rowbody were shipped green last
year – four ACJ320neos and a
pair of ACJ319neos. This com-
pared with a single baseline
ACJ320 in 2018.
The first outfitted aircraft, an
ACJ320neo, will be handed over
to its UK owner Acropolis Avia-
tion during the first quarter.
Boeing has increased its focus
on the twin-aisle market as the
crisis surrounding the troubled
737 Max programme rumbles on.
GAMA records two green
deliveries for Boeing in 2019 –
both BBJ 787-9s. This compared
with six shipments the previous
year – including the first two BBJ
737 Max 8s. ■an 18-unit increase on the previ-
ous year and the segment’s strong-
est output for 11 years.
Cessna’s Citation Latitude was
the most-delivered midsize jet for
the fourth year running – thanks
largely to a 2015 order from frac-
tional ownership company
NetJets for 175 examples – and
the strongest performer in the
seven-strong Citation family. A
one-unit increase took annual
output for the eight-seat jet to 58
aircraft. The Sovereign+ recorded
a modest two-unit rise to eight
aircraft, as demand for the legacy
Citation held firm.
Textron expects its new flag-
ship Longitude to account for the
bulk of its midsize-class deliveries
going forward. The super-midsize
model entered service last Octo-
ber, and GAMA records deliveries
of 13 aircraft during the fourth
quarter. This output included the
first example to NetJets.
The super-midsize newcomers
- Longitude and Praetor 600 – are
now snapping at the heels of the
sector leader, Bombardier’s Chal-
lenger 350. While the 10-seat
twin was the most-delivered su-
per-midsize jet for the sixth year
running, output slid by four units
last year, to 56 aircraft. The Cana-
dian company is widely believed
to be considering a major revamp
of the six-year-old model, to fend
of its latest rivals.
Gulfstream has also hinted at
plans to overhaul its comparable
G280, which was introduced eight
years ago. GAMA records a four-
unit increase in shipments in
2019 for the airframer’s entry-level
offering, to 33 aircraft.HIGH-END HOPES
Gulfstream’s focus will continue
for the time being on the top-end
of the business jet market, which
had a strong 2019.
GAMA data shows deliveries
climbed by 31 units during the
report period, to 240 large-cabin,
long-range and VIP airliner-cate-
gory aircraft – the largest output
for the sector since 2015.
Gulfstream led the class, re-
cording deliveries of 114 aircraft,
against 92 in 2018, with output up
across it product line. The super-
wide-cabin G600, which entered
service last August, contributed
seven units to Gulfstream’s 2019tally, while deliveries of its G500
clean-sheet stablemate, intro-
duced a year earlier, accounted for
19 aircraft – up from 10 in 2018.
Shipments are predicted to
climb in 2020 to 150 aircraft, as
production of the G500 and
G600 accelerates.
Bombardier is also set to boost
its high-end business jet output
this year, on the back of new air-
craft programmes.
The airframer had a modest
year in 2019, recording ship-
ments of 74 Challenger 650ERs
and Global-series aircraft – in-
cluding the first Global 6500 –
against 65 units in 2018.
Global 7500 deliveries are
expected to accelerate to around
40 aircraft in 2020 – up from only
six for its 7,700nm (14,200km)-
range flagship in 2019 – with
Bombardier blaming a “lag” in air-
craft completions for the six-unit
shipment shortfall for the year.Output of the Pilatus PC-24 rose from 18 units in 2018 to 40 in 2019PilatusTextron Aviation