(Atlanta, GA, le 24 septembre 2007) – Après deux années de ventes records, 2007 semble être une autre très bonne année avec 87 commandes enregistrées au premier semestre terminé le 30 juin contre 52 l'an dernier à la même période.
" C'est une période exceptionnelle pour Dassault " affirme Charles Edelstenne, PDG de Dassault Aviation. " Le nouveau Falcon 7X, le jet d'affaires le plus avancé au monde connaît un succès sans précédent mais nous constatons également une forte demande pour tous les modèles Falcon, tout particulièrement pour le nouveau et très efficace Falcon 2000LX ". Il ajoute " Et en ce qui concerne notre support client, toute la famille de jets Falcon bénéficie de l'amélioration de nos services dans le monde entier grâce à nos investissements continus et intenses ".
"Over the past couple of years, we've experienced a changing face of our operators to include more mid-sized and family owned business and entrepreneurs," said John Rosanvallon, President and CEO of Dassault Falcon. "Geographically, our single largest market is still the U.S. But, markets like Western Europe, Brazil , India, Russia and the Middle East are experiencing a more rapid growth. Most surprising, though, is Hong-Kong and mainland China which has started to emerge as a growing market for business aviation and we've enjoyed increased success in that area this year." Later this year, Dassault will deliver the first new Falcon to be based in mainland China when CITIC takes delivery of a Falcon 900DX. The airplane will be based in Beijing.
Dassault Increases Production and Capacity
To accommodate the global demand, beginning in 2009 Dassault will increase Falcon production to 120 aircraft per year due to a vast expansion project that will double the size of Charles Lindbergh Hall in Bordeaux-Merignac. Opened in 2003, Lindbergh Hall is the main assembly center of all Falcons and currently has capacity for 14 aircraft. Ground breaking on the additional 200,000 square feet is scheduled to take place in January 2008 and will be completed and in operation by January 2009.
This follows a series of already announced expansions that have occurred at the Little Rock Completion Center. The most recent expansion includes an additional 120,000 square feet of production, engineering and flight line capacity. Little Rock is Dassault's largest facility worldwide with a footprint of 820,000 square feet of space. To help meet the demand for deliveries, Dassault Falcon – Wilmington is handling some interior installations. In 2008, Wilmington will handle interior installation and paint for 12 Falcons 2000s.
Falcon 2000LX Leading the Way
Sales of the 4,000 nm Falcon 2000LX have been robust since the program was announced at EBACE in May 2007 as a replacement for the Falcon 2000EX EASy. The 2000LX offers an additional 5% range and a faster climb speed resulting from a partnership between Dassault and Aviation Partners International (API) for the development and design of advanced transonic winglets. Certification is expected at the end of 2007 with first deliveries in 2008. Beginning in 2010, the 2000LX will entirely replace the 2000EX EASy.
"The Falcon 2000 family have been our most popular airplanes for a number of years and they still continue to lead our product line," said Rosanvallon. "So when we announced the most efficient member of the family earlier this year, we expected a very warm response from the market." One month after the program launch, National Air Service of Saudi Arabia signed a pre-purchase agreement for 20 Falcon 2000LXs (four firm orders and 16 options). The agreement was one of the largest ever in the region.
The current Falcon 2000 family also consists of the 3,250 nm Falcon 2000DX. Announced at NBAA in 2005, the 2000DX replaces the Falcon 2000 and is expected to be certified and enter service in late 2007. Following its first flight on June 19, 2007, the first airplane arrived in Little Rock for completion in August 2007.
Both the Falcon 2000LX and 2000DX will feature the award winning EASy cockpit and a pair of highly reliable and efficient Pratt & Whitney Canada PW308C engines.
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Dassault Falcon Jet Corp. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Dassault Aviation, and is responsible for selling and supporting Falcon business jets throughout North America, South America, and the Pacific Rim countries of Asia (including China). It employs a workforce of more than 2300 professionals who service, support and meet the needs of Falcon operators in the Western Hemisphere. Since the rollout of the first Falcon 20 in 1963, over 2000 Falcon jets have been sold to more than 65 countries worldwide.
The family of Falcon jets currently in production includes three tri-jets—the Falcon 900DX, 900EX EASy, and the 7X—as well as the twin-engine Falcon 2000DX and Falcon 2000LX.
-End - FRANCE: Vadim Feldzer 33 (0)1 47 11 44 13 or Marie-Alexandrine Munoz 33 (0) 47 11 64 23
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