CANADA: Bombardier Global 7000 Aircraft Successfully Completes First Flight

Bombardier Business Aircraft announced that its segment-defining Global 7000 aircraft program completed the successful maiden flight of its first flight test vehicle (FTV1). This first flight marks the start of a flight test program for the newest member of Bombardier’s flagship Global aircraft family, which is scheduled to enter into service in the second half of 2018.

The Global 7000 flight test vehicle took off from Bombardier’s facility in Toronto under the command of Captain Ed Grabman, assisted by his co-pilot, Jeff Karnes and Flight Test Engineer Jason Nickel under clear conditions at 10:25 a.m. EST.

Dedicated to testing basic system functionality and assessing the handling and flying qualities of the aircraft, today’s flight lasted approximately 2 hours and 27 minutes, during which all flight controls were exercised, and the systems and aircraft performed as expected. The flight crew conducted a gradual climb to 20,000 feet (6,096 m) and the aircraft reached a planned test speed of 240 knots.

"The first flight is the culmination of an incredible amount of knowledge and experience from our dedicated employees, partners and suppliers,” said David Coleal, President, Bombardier Business Aircraft. “This is a very proud moment for Bombardier and confirms the Global 7000 aircraft program development is on schedule. It is the industry’s most innovative and uniquely designed business jet and the only aircraft on the market to offer four living spaces for unparalleled comfort and flexibility, creating an unforgettable experience for our customers. The Global 7000 business jet’s impressive capabilities promise to establish a whole new category for large business jets,” he added.

“This is a great day for Bombardier and a very proud moment for the thousands of employees who made this significant milestone a reality,” said Michel Ouellette, Senior Vice President, Global 7000 and Global 8000 program, Bombardier Business Aircraft. “Hard work and dedication from the entire team, including our suppliers, went into this amazing milestone of the development program. With today’s first flight successfully completed, all teams remain focused on meeting the program’s development and certification schedule and the aircraft’s entry-into-service in the second half of 2018.”

“It was very exciting to see our Global 7000 aircraft take to the skies,” said François Caza, Vice President, Product Development and Chief Engineer, Bombardier Product Development Engineering. “Our world-class product development team, supported by our suppliers, followed our rigorous first flight readiness process, which included systems, structures and aerodynamics technical reviews, as well as the extensive use of test rigs and state-of-the-art simulation. The successful conclusion of this process clears the way for the start of our comprehensive flight test program leading to certification.”

About the Global 7000 aircraft
The Global 7000 business jet is uniquely designed from the inside out to deliver a cabin experience like no other. The first and only business jet to offer four unique living spaces and a dedicated crew area, the Global 7000 aircraft will set the standard for a new category of large business jets, offering unparalleled comfort and interior design flexibility. Engineered with a next-generation transonic wing design, the Global 7000 aircraft offers not only a smooth flight, but also a steep approach capability and short field performance, coupled with highly efficient engines, the largest cabin and the most advanced cockpit, to get you closer to your final destination.

The Global 7000 business aircraft will also be able to connect London to Singapore* or New York City to Dubai* non-stop, and will feature a maximum operating speed of M 0.925*. Passengers flying on the Global 7000 business jet will experience an impressive long-range capability of 7,400 NM (13,705 km) at M 0.85 with eight passengers.
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Bombardier Business Aircraft Implementing Business Model Enhancements to Solidify its Long-term Profitability

Bombardier Business Aircraft continues to restructure and enhance its business model to improve long-term profitability. To that end, the business segment has completed initiatives to increase the number of direct-to-market channels, including termination of third-party sales representative and distribution agreements, as well as the restructuring of customer commercial agreements.

As a result of these agreements, Bombardier will incur pre-tax special charges of $278 million in the fourth quarter of 2015, of which approximately $145 million is non-cash. Of the cash impact, approximately $50 million was disbursed in Q4 2015 and the balance will be paid in 2016.

“We are changing our sales strategy to increase our focus on direct channels,” said David Coleal, President, Bombardier Business Aircraft. “This, coupled with our robust transformation plan, will increase our long-term profitability. Our overall business model enhancements will leverage our
class-leading aircraft, which continue to be outstanding business tools for operators in all regions of the world.”

In line with this change in sales strategy, Bombardier terminated select sales representative and distribution agreements. Bombardier will become directly responsible for sales activities in the associated regions leveraging its existing sales teams allowing for increased direct relationships with operators.

Bombardier Business Aircraft has also completed a restructuring of certain customer commercial agreements. These agreements resulted in the cancellation of 24 firm orders, which had an aggregate value of $1.75 billion at 2015 list prices, with an additional cancellation of 30 optional orders. Bombardier expects to sell these positions at improved margins.

“Restructuring these commercial agreements will strengthen our business and solidify our long-term profitability,” added Coleal. “Our sales team is well equipped to increase our position in the marketplace, and ultimately, we expect our current industry-leading backlog to become even stronger.”

Bombardier will release consolidated results for the fourth quarter and 2015 fiscal year on February 18, 2016.