Dassault Aviation announced the certification of the Falcon 8X by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
This certification is exactly as anticipated in the program schedule. American certification will shortly be issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). First deliveries of the Falcon 8X will therefore be possible at the beginning of the fourth quarter, as announced when the aircraft was launched in May 2014.
“Not only did we develop a Falcon which is exactly in line with the needs of our customers in terms of range, comfort and operational flexibility, but we also did so in record time and with an unparalleled process to ensure aircraft reliability and maturity”, said Eric Trappier, Dassault Aviation Chairman and CEO.
The 26th Falcon 8X is currently in final assembly in the Mérignac plant, while twelve aircraft are in cabin outfitting in the Little Rock plant (Arkansas, United States).
Derived from the Falcon 7X, the Falcon 8X first flew on February 6, 2015. It will offer the greatest range and the longest cabin of any Falcon, allowing it to fly passengers comfortably from Beijing to New York, Hong Kong to London or Los Angeles to Moscow nonstop. It will also share the 7X’s exceptional operating economy and short-field performance. In addition to the quietest cabin and the most advanced digital flight control system in business aviation, the trijet will feature the largest selection of standard cabin configurations of any large business jet.
With more than 8,000 military and civil aircraft delivered to more than 90 countries over the past 60 years, and having logged nearly 28 million flight hours to date, Dassault Aviation can offer recognized know-how and experience in the design, development, sale and support of all types of aircraft, from the Rafale fighter to the Falcon range of high-end business jets, as well as military unmanned air systems.
In 2015, Dassault Aviation reported revenues of €4.20 billion. The company has almost 12,000 employees. In 2016, Dassault Aviation is celebrating the first centennial of its history, which started in 1916 with Marcel Dassault and the Éclair propeller.