Bombardier Seals Deal for Five Light Jets

Bombardier’s Learjet program received a boost with the sale to an undisclosed customer of five Learjet 75s valued at $69 million. The sale comes as Bombardier recently released a comprehensive Garmin G5000 avionics upgrade that the manufacturer said will enable operators to optimize routes and pave the way for future upgrades. Unveiled last fall, the G5000 update is offered on new aircraft as well as via retrofit for in-service Learjet 75s. In addition, Bombardier recently lengthened intervals between recurring major powerplant inspections from 3,000 to 3,500 hours.

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Bombardier Business Aircraft

A pioneering snowmobile manufacturer grew into an industrial conglomerate that today includes the maker of Learjet, Challenger, and Global bizjets.

The light jet—which is fitted with an eight-seat, double club configuration and flat floor—entered service in 2013, one of eight models in the Learjet line that Bombardier has introduced since acquiring Learjet Corp. in 1990. Earlier this year, the Learjet fleet topped the 25-million-flight-hour mark, a milestone reached some 55 years after the first Learjet entered service in 1964.

The Canadian manufacturer did not detail plans for delivery of the newest order, but the sale provides a lift to a program that has slowed in recent years. Bombardier delivered two Learjets in the first quarter and a dozen in all of 2018. But while the manufacturer has not indicated any plans to add to the line, it has stressed that it continues to invest in the Learjet program and has emphasized its strong heritage.