Dassault Falcon celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Falcon 2000 this week at the Abu Dhabi Air Expo 2013. The first flight of the large-cabin Falcon twinjet took place in March 1993 in Bordeaux-Mérignac, France.

Since the twinjet’s certification, Dassault has delivered nearly 500 Falcon 2000s worldwide and the global fleet has achieved close to two million flying hours, making it one of the world’s most widely used business jets in operation. “The Falcon 2000 family of business jets has been a long-lasting success because of its cabin amenities, superior fuel efficiency and high retained value,” said Dassault Falcon president and CEO John Rosanvallon.

According to Dassault, the original Falcon 2000 was the first business jet to be designed using a fully digital mockup, with the Dassault design team responding to Falcon operator needs of the time to help define the aircraft’s initial performance, coast-to-coast range and operating costs. Since the original design, there have been six versions of the Falcon 2000, including the 4,000-nm Falcon 2000LXS introduced at the NBAA Convention in October. The 2000LXS, which will have inboard slats, an upgraded engine, EASy II flight deck and FalconCabin HD+, is scheduled to enter service next year.