More than 15 months after Bombardier announced its upgraded Learjet, the Learjet 75 Liberty has entered service, the Canadian airframer announced today. Auctioneering firm and long-time Learjet operator Alex Lyon & Son has taken delivery of the first Liberty.

“The Learjet 75 Liberty is a value-added business tool for those seeking a safer and more efficient travel option,” said Bombardier senior v-p of new aircraft sales and marketing Peter Likoray. “This achievement would not have been possible without our highly skilled team members in Wichita, who are incredibly proud to be delivering the best Learjet yet.”

The Liberty loses two seats in the forward cabin—for a total of six seats—replaced by two fold-down ottomans and fold-out tables, creating what it calls the “executive suite” for the two remaining seats in the forward section of the cabin, which is separated from the cockpit by a sliding pocket door. In the aft cabin, the four remaining seats are placed in a club configuration.

The APU and external courtesy lights are optional on the Liberty, whereas they were standard on the baseline Learjet 75.

It does retain a 51,000-foot ceiling and two Honeywell TFE731-40BR engines, each with 3,850 pounds of thrust. High-speed cruise remains Mach 0.79 but range improves by 40 nm, to 2,080 nm, with NBAA IFR reserves. Also standard on the Liberty is the Bombardier Vision flight deck with an upgrade to the jet's Garmin G5000 avionics. Gogo ATG 4G wireless connectivity is available as an option.

“Over the past 20 years, Learjet aircraft and Bombardier’s support teams have given me a 99.9 percent dispatch reliability rate. And thanks to the speed of a Learjet, a late departure doesn’t prevent us from arriving on time, which has helped me run my business more efficiently,” said Alex Lyon & Son president and CEO Jack Lyon. “We appreciate the speed, range, and reliability of these aircraft, and we’re proud to become the owners of the first Learjet 75 Liberty.”