China is a hot market according to Dassault, particularly for its ultra long-range trijets. The company's flagship Falcon 8X along with the 7X make up 80 percent of the more than 50 Falcons operating in the country, and both are on exhibit in the static display this year at ABACE.

The 6,450 nm 8X can connect Beijing with New York, Hong Kong with London, or Shanghai with Los Angeles, nonstop, yet also access airports such as London City and Aspen, which are off-limits for some long-range business jets. The aircraft offers a wide variety of standard cabin configurations, including a shower option and a large entryway with certified crew rest area for very long flights. Equipped with FalconEye, Dassault’s unique combined vision system, which is the first civil head-up display to deliver synthetic and enhanced vision system imagery at the same time, the aircraft recently received credit for low visibility approaches with 100-foot minimums, an enhancement that provides operational benefits along with improvements in pilot situational awareness.

The 7X also offers operational economy and versatility, allowing it to serve confined, elevated, and hot airfields, including China’s Daocheng Yading Airport, the world’s highest-elevation commercial facility.

“Chinese customers appreciate the unparalleled safety, state-of-the-art technology, and cabin comfort—particularly the smooth, quiet flight and seamless in-flight connectivity—offered by the Falcon 8X and 7X,” said company chairman and CEO Eric Trappier. “With the Asia-Pacific market showing signs of expansion and China’s Belt and Road Initiative underway, we have an increasingly optimistic outlook for the years ahead."

In Shanghai, the airframer is also highlighting the Falcon 6X ultra widebody twinjet, which is on track for certification and start of deliveries in 2022. With a range of 5,500 nm, the 6X will be the most spacious twin-engine jet in its class and will draw on many of the advanced features of its larger sibling, including an extremely quiet cabin and excellent performance at challenging airports.

Dassault noted that all its aircraft are well-suited for multi-role application. An example is a Falcon 2000LX operated by Beijing 999 Emergency Rescue Center, the first fixed-wing aircraft in the country fully-equipped for air medevac service.

Following its acquisition earlier this year of the MRO operations of ExecuJet and TAG Aviation, the manufacturer continues to increase its customer support network in the China region. It currently has a factory authorized service center in Shanghai, which offers a full range of services, including A and B checks and heavy maintenance, for all in-production Falcons registered in China, Hong Kong, Macau, the U.S., and Europe.

Operators can also utilize two other authorized service centers, at Beijing Capital Airport, providing line and unscheduled maintenance for Chinese-registered 7X jets, and at the ExecuJet facility at Tianjin Binhai International Airport, which offers line maintenance. The company maintains a spare parts inventory in China worth more than $6 million, plus an additional $30 million in spares throughout the region. Those depots allow Dassault operators to immediately access the top 3,000 high-demand parts for in-production aircraft.

“We are committed to doing whatever we can to provide the best possible support,” said Kathy Liu, the company’s director of customer support for Asia-Pacific. “Whether improving or expanding support infrastructure or offering new support options, our mission is to continually maximize the value of Falcon aircraft and optimize the customer experience.”

In conjunction with ABACE, Dassault once again hosted a Falcon Maintenance and Operations seminar, focusing on technical issues for Asia-Pacific customers.