With all three makers of ultra-long-range jets having in the past five years introduced top-of-the-range types capable of reaching almost anywhere in the world without a stop – and few obvious gaps in the market elsewhere – it is difficult to see where the next big product launch in business aviation will emerge.
But that does not mean development activity has come to a halt. Of the four major types in development, Bombardier’s new flagship, the GE Aerospace Passport-powered, 8,000nm (14,800km)-range Global 8000, a replacement for the Global 7500, flew for the first time in May and is “on track” for certification this year. So too is Gulfstream’s large-cabin G400, which has Pratt & Whitney Canada PW812A engines.
Further off are Dassault’s ultra-long-range contender, the Rolls-Royce Pearl 10X-powered Falcon 10X and Honda Aircraft’s Echelon, which sits at the upper end of the light segment and is powered by twin Williams International FJ44s. They are scheduled for service entry in 2027 and 2028, respectively.
Manufacturers have several other revamps and upgrades in the works. A few weeks before the show, Gulfstream announced the G300 as a replacement for the super-midsize G280. The aircraft – which is scheduled to enter service in 2027 – is the prolific Savannah-headquartered manufacturer’s sixth new type in just over a decade and rounds off an entire refresh of its line-up.
Gulfstream has been reported for years to be planning to update or replace its smallest aircraft, around 300 units of which have been sold since its launch in 2008. The G280 (originally called the G250) in turn replaced the original Israel Aerospace Industries-owned Galaxy Aerospace Astra Galaxy, which was renamed the G200 after Gulfstream bought the business in 2001.
Although the 3,600nm (6,670km)-range jet will be 50cm (20in) longer than its predecessor and feature the manufacturer’s Honeywell Epic 2-based Harmony flightdeck as well as its signature large oval windows, it shares many characteristics with the G280, including its twin Honeywell HF7250G engines. As with the G280, IAI will continue to assemble the aircraft in Tel Aviv.
Gulfstream was also quickest to the finish in the ultra-long-range segment, with its G800 – a direct competitor of the Global 8000 and Falcon 10X – achieving US and European certification in April. Parent company General Dynamics is forecasting about 13 deliveries of the Pearl 700-powered type this year.
Dassault’s other recent addition is the 5,500nm-range Falcon 6X, which entered service in 2023, joining the 8X, 2000LXS and 900LX. However, the French airframer has been struggling against its two North American counterparts, with just 12 shipments in the first half of this year, compared with 74 and 59 for Gulfstream and Bombardier respectively, according to General Aviation Manufacturers Association figures.
Since launching the midsize Latitude and its Longitude super-midsize sibling in the early 2010s, Textron Aviation has been busy with updates to several of its smaller Cessna Citation jets. Meanwhile, after years of delays to its GE Aerospace Catalyst engine, its all-new Beechcraft Denali single turboprop is expected to enter service next year.
Elsewhere, Textron, which has more in-production business aviation types than any other manufacturer under its Cessna Citation and Beechcraft brands, hopes to achieve certification this year for its Citation Ascend – showcased on the NBAA static display – an upgrade to the XLS+ introduced in 2023 and flown as a certification-conforming airframe for the first time last year.
The Wichita-based manufacturer also last year rolled out “Gen 3” variants of its M2, CJ3, and CJ4 platforms, which come with Garmin’s emergency autoland system as a standard feature. The latter is scheduled for certification in 2026, and the other two in 2027.
A move up the segments looks unlikely, however, after the failure of the large-cabin Citation Hemisphere – launched in 2015 but put on ice after Safran abandoned its Silvercrest engine – and the earlier Columbus, unveiled just ahead of the 2008 global financial crisis.
A flurry of activity in the early 2000s saw Embraer go from business aviation newbie to a line-up of four successful models – including what has been the best-selling light jet for well over a decade in the Phenom 300E. However, the Brazilian brand has been relatively quiet since the launch of the Praetor 500 and Praetor 600 (reworks of earlier mid-market jets) in 2018.
Embraer has long floated the idea of launching a larger business jet than the super-midsize Praetor 600 – it broke into the market with corporate versions of two of its airliners and has no shortage of experience in developing large aircraft, including with its C-390 military airlifter.
However, in February, chief executive Francisco Gomes Neto seemed to pour cold water on that idea this side of 2030, saying the manufacturer was prioritizing building cash reserves and investing in new technologies. It is heavily involved in the urban air mobility world with its Eve spin-off, and needs to retain its dominant position in the regional jet segment if new, sustainable propulsion know-how emerges.
Honda, another 21st century newcomer to business aviation, has been focusing on development of its 2,625nm-range Echelon at its Greensboro, North Carolina campus. The Echelon, which Honda revealed in 2021, will, at least initially, be offered alongside the original HA-420 HondaJet. The latter, powered by GE Honda Aero Engines HF-120s, entered service in 2015.
However, with the Echelon on the horizon, sales have been slowing in recent years with 22 in 2023, 11 in 2024 and just four in the first six months of this year, according to GAMA figures.
Seven years after service entry, Pilatus’s PC-24 continues to be a strong seller in the light jet market, with almost 100 deliveries combined over the past two years, and the USA its biggest market. However, the Trump administration’s punitive tariffs on Swiss imports caused the Stans-based manufacturer to pause sales to the country in August.
Both Pilatus – which also offers the PC-12 turboprop – and its main rival in that segment, Daher, behind the TBM 960, are both looking at establishing assembly sites in the USA as a hedge against import taxes. The French manufacturer, which is also heavily dependent on US sales, hopes to begin producing TBM aircraft destined for the US market next to its Florida aerostructures plant in 2027.
Earlier this year, Pilatus revealed the latest version of its best-selling single turboprop, the PC-12 Pro, which comes with new Garmin touchscreen avionics (replacing a Honeywell flightdeck on the previous NGX model), autoland capabilities, and a refreshed cabin.
There has not been much development at the lower end of the turboprop market, an exception being Piper’s launch early last year of its latest PA46 model, the M700 Fury. The Florida airframer describes the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-52-powered Fury as its fastest single-engine aircraft in its history.
Newcomers such as France’s Beyond Aero – which is developing a hydrogen/electric-powered light jet – and Otto Aerospace, behind plans for the laminar-flow Phantom 3500, hover on the fringes.
However, breaking into the business aviation market remains incredibly difficult for a start-up, as evidenced by a long list of those who tried but have either failed to make an impact or disappeared entirely, from Eclipse and Syber Jet to VisionAire and Aerion.
The last successful entrants were Honda Aircraft, which had the advantage of its Japanese parent’s very deep pockets, and Embraer, with its long pedigree in commercial and military aviation and backed by the Brazilian state.
