Bombardier is adding a new aircraft to its Global family.
The Montreal-based business jet maker unveiled the Global 8000, a project that has been on the drawing board for several years, at the Geneva Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE) on Monday.
The aircraft, scheduled to enter service in 2025, has a range of 8,000 nautical miles and a speed of Mach 0.94.
By comparison, the Global 7500 has a range of 7,700 nautical miles and a speed of Mach 0.925.
The cabin size of the two aircrafts are equal.
The company says it considered making the Global 8000 a smaller aircraft but, in the end, managed to not sacrifice space for performance.
Bombardier President and CEO Eric Martel says the Global 8000 strengthens the company's position in the business jet industry.
"As an industry leader, Bombardier is never complacent when it comes to its offerings; we are always improving,'' he said at the official unveiling.
Last October, Bombardier's rival Gulfstream unveiled its G800, which has a range of 8,000 miles.
It is scheduled to enter service in 2023.
Bombardier's Global 8000 has been on the development list since the Global 7000 program launched in 2010.
In its annual report last February, the company said the aircraft was still in development and that its specifications were "susceptible to change."
In 2018, Bombardier changed the name of the Global 7000 to Global 7500 to reflect its greater range.
The first deliveries took place in December that year.
Some experts have expressed doubts about the launch of the Global 8000 as the Global 7500 already has a range close to the same target.
Nevertheless, the company says the cost of developing the Global 8000 was "aligned" with its 2025 financial targets.
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 23, 2022.
