Bombardier will delay the debut of its new Global 7000 business jet until 2018.
Canada’s Bombardier is postponing the entry into service of its Global 7000 business jet due to a decline in orders and their financial position made worse from “development challenges” of its C Series commercial jet.
The Global 7000 business jet was set for customer deliveries in the 2nd half of 2016. With a range of 7,300 nm (13,520km), it was expected to compete with the introduction of Gulfstream G650 and the Dassault Falcon 5X/8X. They company has not yet made a change to the schedule for the 2017 debut of the longer-range Global 8000.
Able to seat up to 19 passengers in the large cabin and with the extended range, it promised to be a hit with VIP and VVIP customers. The 2 year delay will certainly have potential clients looking for other options.
With the first flight test aircraft in final assembly, one of the challenges uncovered is a new advanced wing designed to improve long-range and short-field takeoff performance. This has led to redesign some aspects of the wing as well as address issues with the new high efficient engine, new advanced avionics and the four-zone cabin.
Bombardier recently announced plans to curtail production of the Global 5000/6000 business jets to between 50-60 aircraft per year as well as pausing development of the Learjet 85. Second quarter sales of Bombardier’s business jets were slow with soft demand from China, Latin America and Russia.