The first Indian customer for Dassault’s new Falcon 8X is due to receive the aircraft by the end of 2016. Exhibiting at this week’s India Aviation show in Hyderabad, the French manufacturer reported that its 8X and 7X long-range jets are proving popular in India, especially since they can offer non-stop flights to destinations such as London City Airport that are generally not open to larger aircraft. There are currently 22 Falcons based in India. “We are expecting the country’s accelerating economic growth to translate into rising Falcon sales going forward,” commented Dassault Aviation chairman and CEO Eric Trappier.

Dassault is displaying its latest Falcon 2000LXS at India Aviation, which runs from March 16-20 at Hyderabad’s Begumpet Airport. In 2015, the company opened a new Indian office in Bangalore and appointed Delhi-based Ligare Engineering as an AOG-level approved service center for the Falcon 7X.