Aviation Week Show News - November 12, 2007 - (Page 1)

BUSINESS MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12 DUBAI 2007 AVIATION • SPECIAL SECTION Bombardier Skyjet Sees Shift in Charter Here While the Middle Eastern business and private aviation scene is still dominated by big-jet wide-body flying, there has been a subtle shift towards smaller, less extravagant aircraft as new users start to enter the market. Bombardier Skyjet International chief Judith Moreton notes that her company will soon have Dubai-based Learjet 45s available for customers, when just a few years ago it might have been impossible to find work for an aircraft of such modest size. “Among our Judith Moreton. Middle East resident customers about 70% of the demand is for widebodies [in Bombardier terms that means Challenger or Global Express jets] with about 30% for smaller aircraft like the Learjet 60 and Learjet 45. Most of the flying we do in the Middle East is out-of-region, to Europe or Asia, and what we are seeing now is the arrival of younger business aviation users—the sons or grandsons of the previous generation—who are using aircraft with a business attitude, rather than as luxury items. “There are still some things that the market here must have, like a stand-up cabin—that’s pretty essential. But overall there is a trend towards a more businesslike approach to business flying.” Skyjet International’s worldwide business continues to grow at an astonishing rate. “Flying hours are up by 40% since 1 February 2007 and our customer base has risen by 65% in the year-to-date. We expect customers to have doubled by the end of this financial year. We used to think that 25% growth was amazing, but this is a whole other league.” World’s First Supersonic Customer Dr. Tarek bin Laden of Saudi Arabia will become the world’s first customer to place a deposit on a supersonic business jet when he visits the show today and signs the deal on the Aerion stand. Polishing the model yesterday in preparation for the historic event were (l to r) Aerion vice chairman Brian Barents, Aerion CFO James Stewart, and ExecuJet Aviation CEO Niall Olver. ExecuJet is the exclusive representative for the $80 million SBJ outside the U.S. It started taking refundable $250,000 deposits for the aircraft here at the show, with bin Laden’s being the first. Ferrari’s Massa Buys an Avanti Ferrari Formula I driver Felipe Massa has spent so much time traveling in the Piaggio Avanti that he decided to buy one. Yesterday he signed on the line here at the show with Piaggio Aero chairman Piero Ferrari (l), watched by Piaggo sales manager Khaldoun Al Mobanau. Embraer Sells First Mid East Lineage Embraer began Day One of the Dubai air show announcing a raft of new orders for its executive jets, including its new and increasingly popular Phenomseries. All told, the Brazilian aerospace firm has new orders for 19 of its various models. Falcon Aviation Services (FAS) of Abu Dhabi have placed eight of these orders: four Phenom 300 models, three Legacy 600s and one of the Lineage 1000s. The total value of the order is US $145.78 million, but has been factored into Embraer’s backlog total. This is the first Lineage order placed in the Middle East, which will be delivered in the second quarter of 2010. We are delighted to receive this order from an experienced and renowned operator like FAS,” said Embraer’s EVP Louis Carlos Affonso for Executive Jets. “FAS customers will appreciate the luxurious interior and premium comfort” that these aircraft offer. The other sale went to Spain’s Globalia Group, which has purchased eight Phenom 100s, two Phenom 300s, and one Legacy 600. The total value of this order is US $62.31 million. These aircraft will be operated by Pepe Jets, a new Globalia subsidiary that is one of the largest tourism groups in Spain. Globalia also owns Air Europa, the second largest airline in Spain. The Legacy will be delivered in 2008, followed by the Phenom 100s in October 2010 and the 300s in April 2011. They will be used for charter and ondemand operations.

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Aviation Week Show News - November 12, 2007

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