First European Signature Series Bombardier Challenger 350 unveiled by NetJets at EBACE
Above: Jordan Hansell, Chairman and CEO, NetJets (centre right) and Alain Bellemare, President and CEO, Bombardier Inc. (centre left) at EBACE 2015.
Jordan Hansell, NetJets Chairman and CEO, spoke alongside Alain Bellemare, President and CEO, Bombardier Inc., and reaffirmed the company’s steady performance in Europe over the past 12 months and talked through the upcoming aircraft deliveries and fleet renewal plans for 2015 and beyond.
“NetJets announced it was to be the launch customer for the Challenger 350 aircraft at EBACE back in 2013,” Hansell said. “We have 75 firm orders planned and an additional 125 optional orders available. These deliveries alone are worth $5.4 billion US (€4.8 billion) – cementing our position as a market leader in fractional ownership business aviation and reinforcing our commitment to continue investing for our clients. We already have 11 Challenger 350 aircraft operating in the United States, and Europe will receive a total of four this year. These are proving to be a very popular choice of super mid-size aircraft for our customers, and we are selling shares at a fast rate. The market is continuing to show signs of improvement in Europe,” said Hansell.
NetJets pioneered the concept of Signature Series jets in 2012, which means clients can experience cabin interiors and technical specifications that are only found on NetJets’ aircraft. The internal design team works alongside Bombardier to ensure client feedback along with step-change innovations in business jet design are taken into account when customising the final product.
Hansell added, “We’re particularly proud of what we’ve achieved with our Signature Series jets at NetJets. All of the cabin materials you see on-board the Challenger 350 aircraft are hand-selected by our design team. This is complemented with iPads on-board each aircraft that feature pre-loaded entertainment content, along with a Blu-ray player and HD monitors. Additionally, our Signature Series Challenger 350 jets in Europe will have in-flight entertainment available later this year, which helps set us apart further from the competition.”
NetJets’ Challenger 350 aircraft includes seating for up to 10 passengers and includes a club configuration and berthable three-place divan. The aircraft has a 1.85 metre high stand-up cabin with a flat floor along with a spacious cabin width of over two metres. The aircraft is capable of connecting all corners of Europe and beyond – reaching North Africa and the Middle East from London with ease.
Alain Bellemare commented: “Bombardier Business Aircraft is proud to work with NetJets and has thoroughly enjoyed developing the NetJets Signature Series concept. Today’s milestone is twice as exceptional for Bombardier: This first NetJets Europe Signature Series Challenger 350 aircraft also happens to be our 500th Challenger 300 series aircraft ever built. This landmark achievement is a testament to the Challenger platform’s outstanding track record and worldwide acceptance – based on its reliability, value and superior widebody comfort.”
NetJets Europe is showcasing the Challenger 350 aircraft at the Bombardier static display at EBACE, Geneva between May 18-21, 2015. Bombardier Business Aircraft is also showcasing an extensive line-up of business jets including the Learjet 75, Challenger 350, Challenger 650 and Global 6000 aircraft, as well as the full-scale mock-up of the Global 7000 aircraft.
