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Aviation History
2004
2004-09 - 0871.PDF
EBACE SHOW REPORT EBACE 2004 An upbeat international business aviation community gathered in Geneva last week for the fourth and largest European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE). The demand for Europe's only dedicated business aviation event, which this year saw exhibitor numbers rise by 20% to 247, is a reflection of the growing optimism felt by the industry. The focus of this year's convention was on product upgrades, customer support, interiors and the increasingly crowded niche for high- end transatlantic services. Report by Murdo Morrison, Kate Sarsfield and Justin Wastnage. OUTLOOK Confidence rises as demand returns Manufacturers decidedly more upbeat than at last year's show, but concerned at terrorism threat and rising fuel prices Manufacturers at EBACE delivered upbeat messages on recent industry performance and prospects - sev eral saying the first quarter had been the healthiest for business aviation since 9/11. The mood was in marked con trast to EBACE last year, which was held just after the Iraq war, during the SARS outbreak and amid a gloomy US economy. Deliveries and orders were faltering. But some in the industry are warning that global security con cerns and rising fuel prices could still be a brake on growth. Gulfstream president Bryan Moss, who last year suggested the situation had never been worse for business aviation, said there was "a better level of confidence" across the industry. Bombardier vice-president for sales in Europe Bob Horner said the past nine months had seen an uplift in used and new aircraft sales and there were "grounds for cau tious optimism". Boeing Business Jets president Lee Monson echoed this, saying there had been a "dramatic upturn" in industry prospects over the previous eight months. Dennis Helgeson, vice-president business and regional at Rockwell Collins, says that, after a dismal start to 2003, the year had finished strongly and the first quarter of 2004 had been "very good". Helgeson added: "When you talk to manufacturers, suppliers and everybody else here, they are all seeing a more positive show than last year." EVALUATION Raytheon studies baby for Beechcraft range Raytheon Aircraft is studying the market for very light jets and sug gests a smaller aircraft to fit under its Premier 1 light business jet would complement its Beechcraft product line. "The typical progression [for pilots] is from a piston to a turbo prop to a jet," says Randy Groom, president of Beechcraft, which also offers the Baron and Bonanza pis ton aircraft and King Air family of turboprops. "But it is too early to commit to this market," he adds. "We do not want to be a part of the 'me too' culture, so we will watch and wait to see how the market is going to develop." Groom says that, while there is no shortage of enthusiasm in the industry for the very light jet con cept, the viability of this market is a key consideration for Raytheon. This includes the question of how the projected market size will impact production volumes and the cost structure of the manufac turer. "If and when we do proceed, it will be a clean sheet of paper aircraft," Groom says. Raytheon, in the meantime, is striving to improve international customer support across its Hawker and Beechcraft aircraft families, says Raytheon customer support vice- president Ed Dolanski. In its latest move, Raytheon will open next month a European spares distribution centre at Liege airport in Belgium, in partnership with Palno, Texas-based logistics specialist PFSWeb. Investing in a European parts and distribution facility, Dolanski says, is designed to overcome the international shipping delays imposed by US Customs after 11 September 2001. The 13,000m2 (140,000ft2) fully automated facility will replicate the parts availability of its Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas ware house, carrying $10 million worth of spares initially, Dolanski says. The Liege base, also a hub for FedEx and TNT Airways, will enable European suppliers to dispatch spares more quickly and cheaply than from the Dallas facility. In Liege, Raytheon will implement fast turnaround inventory distribu tion techniques adopted by major retail companies, Dolanski says. Dassault's Falcon 900DX tri-jet was unveiled at this year's EBACE LAUNCH Dassault mulls mid-size move Dassault Aviation could return to the mid-size cabin market within three years, but says it will not offer a product below the $15 million price mark. "We have received a lot of interest from our customers in a smaller-cabin business jet similar in size to the twin-engine Falcon 20," says Dassault Falcon Jet president Jean Rosanvallon. "But it is not a short-term plan as our priority is the 900DX and 7X programmes." In contrast to its competitors, Dassault has concentrated on the high-end business jet market from the $20.6 million mid-size Falcon 50EX to the $37 million long-range 7X. The French manufacturer has launched seven new aircraft programmes in 10 years and says 65% of its owners are loyal to the Dassault fleet. The company would utilise the technology developed for the 7X programme to bring a new aircraft to market with a competitive price tag. Dassault's Falcon 900DX tri-jet, unveiled at the show, will cost $31.7 million, $3 million less than the 900EX and $450,000 more than the 900C it replaces (FlightInternational, 25 May-1 June). The DX is positioned between the 2000EX and the 900EX and all three have the same fuselage diameter. Rosanvallon says the operating costs of the 5,000lb (22.3KN) thrust Honeywell TFE731 -60-powered DX will be 5% below those of the 900C. 18 1-7 JUNE 2004 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL www.flightinternational.com
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