Dassault Aviation’s Long-range Falcon 8X Business Jet Makes Debut At Abu Dhabi Air Expo

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The tri-jet long-range Falcon 8X can travel nonstop from New York City to Abu Dhabi but is also noted for its ability to land at restricted airports that other large business jets can’t access. (Photo courtesy of Dassault Aviation.)

Dassault Aviation showed off its flagship Falcon 8X business jet for the first time at the Abu Dhabi Air Expo 2018, which wrapped up last week at the Al Bateen Airport in Abu Dhabi. While the first delivery of the tri-jet, ultra-long range (6,450 nautical miles, 11,945 kilometers) Falcon 8X occurred in late 2016, numerous Falcon 8X aircraft are operating in the Gulf region and other major markets, including in the United States, Europe, India, Brazil, and China. Besides the Falcon 8X, Dassault Aviation’s Falcon aircraft for sale also includes the Falcon 7X, 900LX, 2000LXS, and 2000S business jets.

Serving The Region

Dassault Aviation notes that over the past 10 years the fleet of Falcon aircraft in the Middle East has nearly doubled to reach roughly 80 aircraft. This includes about 12 long-range 7X aircraft. The company’s twin-engine Falcon 2000, meanwhile, makes up about a quarter of company’s fleet in the region. In a statement, Eric Trappier, Dassault Aviation CEO and chairman, said that in the Gulf region where business aviation is a key market, “operators place a high premium on the performance, robustness, and advanced technology of Falcon jets, inherited from Dassault fighter aircraft programs.” Customers in the region are enthusiastic about the 8X, he said, because “it offers the best combination of range, cabin comfort, and operating efficiency of any business jet on the market.”

A subsidiary of France-based Dassault Group, Dassault Aviation was already a noted military aircraft manufacturer when it entered the civil aircraft sector in the mid-1960s with the Falcon 20. The company has delivered roughly 2,500 business jets to date. Largely due to its “high level of maturity of its onboard systems,” Dassault Aviation states the 8X has experienced a “remarkably smooth market introduction.” Recent approval to fly in demanding crosswind conditions, as well as operate at London City Airport (“one of the world’s most restrictive airports”), have reinforced the 8X’s operational abilities, Dassault states.

The 8X sports three P&W Canada PW307D engines and can fly nonstop from New York to Abu Dhabi but can also land at restricted airports that large business jets typically cannot access. Dassault Aviation also touts the 8X as producing 35% lower direct operating costs than competing jets.

Growing Support

Dassault Aviation operates an authorized service center, spare parts distribution center, and regional sales office in Dubai, and another authorized service center and technical office in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The company keeps $2 million-plus worth of inventory primarily aimed at the Falcon 8X, 7X, and Falcon 2000 available at its Dubai warehouse. Outside the Gulf region, Dassault Aviation started construction on a new spare parts facility in 2017 near France’s Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport that will serve the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Dassault also operates the Falcon Response AOG (Aircraft On Ground) support service in the region.

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Source: Dassault Aviation