Bombardier has powered on the GE Aviation Passport engines on its Global 7000 business jet, and says it is on target to fly the ultra-long-range type in the fourth quarter of this year.
Global 7000 serial number 70001 – the first of four test articles that are in various stages of production – is registered as C-GLBO and will make its maiden sortie from Bombardier’s Downsview, Toronto facility before heading to Wichita, Kansas to begin its flight test campaign.
Bombardier Aerospace
The engine power-on event comes around six months after the US Federal Aviation Administration certificated the 16,500lb (73kN)-thrust Passport, for which the Global 7000 is the only in-development host platform to date. The engine has also been selected by Bombardier for its 7,900nm (14,600km) Global 8000. It says it will evaluate the aircraft's schedule once C-GLBO is in flight testing.
The Global 7000 programme was launched in 2010, but a series of development challenges with the clean-sheet model – including a decision by Bombardier in 2015 to redesign its wing – have delayed its schedule by over two years. The 12-seat flagship is now scheduled for service entry in late 2018.
Priced at $73 million, the Global 7000 is projected to have a maximum range of 7,400nm and a top speed of Mach 0.925.
Source: Flight International
