Bombardier Aerospace’s ultra-long-range Global 7000, the world’s largest purpose-built business aircraft, is on track for certification and entry into service in next year's second half, David Coleal, president, Bombardier Business Aviation, said at a briefing in Toronto shortly before NBAA 2017 kicked off here in Las Vegas. “We’re super happy about the program,” Coleal said. “Think about where we were [at this time] last year. FTV1 [Flight Test Vehicle 1] hadn’t flown.” Now four FTVs are flying with more than 800 flight-test hours notched, Coleal noted, and “more important, seven customer aircraft are on assembly lines as we speak today. There’s a sense of confidence in the program.”

The Global 7000 is making its public debut here at the show, on view at Bombardier’s static display at Henderson Executive Airport, the white airframe accented by a single, elegant gold sash of paint sweeping along the fuselage. A derivative of the Global 6000, the 7000 features a new transonic wing and the first application of General Electric’s Passport 20 engine, combining to deliver a Mach 0.90 high-speed cruise and an exceptionally “smooth ride” that the company claims separates all current Globals from the competition.

The aircraft was initially scheduled for service entry in 2016, and the two-year delay created “a lot of skepticism” about the program, Coleal said, noting that he expects the current status to correct that perception. “We haven’t compromised on anything on the product, or what it will do,” Coleal said. “Everything we said—sidestick control, fly-by-wire—it’s still relevant.” That includes the steep approach capability that will allow it to operate in and out of London City Airport and Aspen, Colorado. The fly-by-wire system and aluminum-lithium alloy in the airframe are borrowed from Bombardier’s CSeries regional airliners.

Michel Ouellette, senior v-p of the Global 7000/8000 program, said the four-zone cabin in general, and the optional dedicated bed and shower in zone 4 in particular, are popular with customers. With this private area, the jet will be “competing for some of the people flying Emirates, [with] airlines that offer long-range service with bed and shower suites,” said Coleal. “We can get into a market space that only airlines can now.”

The company is currently specifying interiors, and specialists at Bombardier’s Global Completion Center in Saint-Laurent, Québec, where interiors will be installed and aircraft painted, are working to develop and optimize the completion process.

The popularity of the optional dedicated bedroom and four-zone cabin in the 7,400-nm range jet begs the question: what’s the rationale for the Global 8000, scheduled to enter service a year after the 7000, which has an additional 500 nm of range, but loses the fourth, dedicated bedroom zone in exchange, as per current planned configuration? Coleal said the company is focused on the 7000 but will “continue to assess [the 8000] as we get rolling” on the current program.

Three hangars (8, 9 and 10) at Bombardier’s Toronto plant are devoted to Global 7000 and forthcoming 8000 production. Hangar 9, empty during a visit in September, houses the assembly line; the first five production airframes were being built in adjoining Hangar 10. The five-position line is being moved into Hangar 9 as the first production airframes make their way toward completion, and the Global 7000 transitions from a test and certification to a production program. Bay 8 is devoted to preflight activity. A total of 12 jets are expected to be in production by year-end.

The company declines to discuss order numbers or production capacity, but Coleal said 7000s are sold out into 2021. About the launch customer he would say only, “He is very excited.”

Bombardier forecasts sales of long-range business jets to grow from today’s 150 per year to 250 by 2022. “I think this is coming to market at the right time, after ten years of the market being static,” Coleal said. “Everybody wants the latest thing, and the biggest thing, and this will open up new mission profiles, in a four-zone cabin, that other aircraft can’t do.”

Those new profiles could include special-mission configurations. The Special Missions group, formerly under the commercial division, now reports to Coleal. The Challenger 650, Globals and Q400 regional turboprop all have special-mission applications, and Bombardier sees more synergy on the business aviation rather than the commercial side of the house. Coleal noted that special-mission aircraft need payload, range and loiter time, and the Global 7000 can offer all three.

For now, no foreseeable barriers to certification remain, Coleal said. The August in-flight flame-out on FTV2 was deemed an isolated event by Transport Canada, and is “not going to affect the program at all,” Coleal said. The dispute with wing manufacturer Triumph Group over delivery delays and costs has been resolved and is “behind us,” and he continued calling the company “a key partner.”