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Aviation History
2004
2004-09 - 2581.PDF
BUSINESS AVIATION CHARTER Air China lengthens GIV lease Air China has extended the lease on its Gulfstream IV until early 2006 as market conditions in China and across Asia show signs of improvement. Air China opened its business jet charter division in October 2003 with one GIV on a one-year lease from the manufacturer. The carrier struggled initially to find customers for the aircraft and earlier this year looked at switch ing to a smaller business jet (Flight International, 1-7 June). "It's been a learning experi ence," says a Gulfstream source. "You didn't really have any large-size aircraft in China. From a charter standpoint there was nothing in the GIV category. They are now hitting stride with the aircraft and the market has picked up." The Air China GIV along with a GIV and two Boeing 737-300s added this year by Hainan Airlines' Deer Jet subsidiary, are the largest business jets avail able for charter in China. Other aircraft in the fledgling and so far unprofitable Chinese charter market include six Raytheon Hawker 800s at Hainan Airlines subsidiary Deer Jet, two Bombardier Challenger 604s at Shandong Airlines subsidiary Rainbow Jet and one Challenger 800 at Shanghai Airlines. There are also five VlP-con- figured Bombardier CRJ100s operated exclusively for the gov ernment by China United Airlines. These aircraft have been temporarily grounded since the Chinese Yunnan Airlines CRJ crash last month. IN BRIEF CJ3 SIMULATION Just weeks after certification of the Cessna Citation CJ3, FlightSafety International has received Level D approval for the aircraft's first full-flight simulator at its Cessna training centre in Wichita, Kansas. STRATEGY GRAHAM WARWICK / WASHINGTON DC Raytheon pares Hawker Horizon 2005 deliveries US manufacturer plans gradual introduction in effort to avoid service-entry problems Raytheon Aircraft (RAC) plans to deliver only three Hawker Horizons next year, in a bid to avoid entry into service problems with its new super mid-size business jet. "We will manage the ramp-up and introduction very differently to other aircraft," says Jim Schuster, RAC chief executive. Provisional certification and delivery of the first Horizon is expected this month, but the company will immediately lease the aircraft back for service-readiness testing. Plans call for delivery of three Horizons in 2005, 11 in 2006, 16 in 2007 and 24 in 2008 with the planned full production rate of 30 a year being reached in 2009. This contrasts will previous air craft introductions, including RAC's Premier I light jet, where the production ramp-up began ahead of certification, necessitating a modification line to rework aircraft to the final configuration before delivery. "Every other clean-sheet aircraft has had a troubled entry into ser vice. We will not manage the Hawker Horizon that way," says Schuster. "A controlled, low-risk approach [to production ramp-up] will avoid the rework and modifica tion costs and the customer angst with an immature aircraft." With completion of Horizon development next year, RAC's focus will shift to product improve ments and derivatives of its exist ing platforms, says Schuster. "This, and expanded participation by our partners and suppliers, will allow us to reduce our [research and development] from 3-4% [of sales] to 2% in 2006." RAC plans to step up deliveries from 383 aircraft this year to 426 in 2005. The biggest increase - from 30 to 57 - is in production of the Hawker 400XP light jet. Bombardier believes interest in Special Edition variant will boost sales of Learjet 60 DEVELOPMENT KATE SARSFIELD / LONDON Bombardier to review Learjet 60 Bombardier has launched an inter nal review to examine the future of the Learjet 60 business jet pro gramme. The initiative comes as the Canadian manufacturer confirms it has received significant interest in the revamped standard production version of the mid-size aircraft, the Learjet 60 Special Edition (SE). The aircraft was launched in October and Bombardier has deliv ered three aircraft to date, says Brad Nolen, manager of product plan ning for the Learjet family. "The upswing has been marked," Nolen says. "We already have a healthy backlog for the SE and this upgrade will boost sales of the Learjet 60. This will be reflected in increased deliveries of the aircraft next year." Bombardier has incorporated as standard on the 60SE $1 million worth of extras that were previously sold as options. These include a lux ury interior, enhanced avionics, entertainment and weather detec tion systems. Bombardier is also offering until the end of the month a comprehensive maintenance, training and warranty package. "The $12.5 million aircraft has more standard equipment than any other aircraft in the mid-size sec tor," Nolen says, adding that offer ing a standardised aircraft will also reduce production costs. The Learjet 60 entered service in 1993 as a replacement for the Model 55, introduced 12 years ear lier as the first Learjet type with a stand up cabin. "We have delivered 277 Learjet 60s to date, which has exactly matched our market expec tations," Nolen says. Bombardier is continuing to develop and evolve the Learjet 60 programme to retain a competitive edge in the "crowded" mid-size sec tor. "But a new product launch is not planned in the near term," Nolen says. 26 7-13 DECEMBER 2004 FLIOH T INTERNATIONAL www.flightinternational.com
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