LARGE CABIN CHASM
A gap in the 4,000 to 6,000 nm range prompts the question: Who will take advantage of this sweet spot?
BY FRED GEORGE
There are 30 purpose-built business jet models in current production, starting with $4.5 million, 1,000-nm-range light turbofan airplanes, all the way up to $85 million-plus, 8,000 nm-plus uber cruisers. Add in the $100 to $200 million air yachts from Airbus and Boeing, and the total count jumps to 36. The sheer number of these machines, along with notable differences in cabin comfort, speed, range, airport performance, and fuel economy, suggest there’s a perfect fit for every customer. In reality, though, some segments have considerable overlap, while others are sparsely populated. There’s a long-term trend, for instance, by private jet manufacturers to migrate upmarket, expanding their product portfolios to include bigger, faster, and farther- flying airplanes. They’ve been moving up from 1,000- to 1,500-nm-range light jets into 1,500- to 2,000-nm mid-size business aircraft, then migrating from mid- size into 3,000-nm-plus super-midsize jets. Embraer, with its Praetor 500 and 600 jets, and Textron Aviation, with the Citation Latitude and Longitude, are two OEMs that have recently moved upmarket into super- midsize. This has created hot competition in the super- midsize jet class. The super-mids were originally envisioned three decades ago as more economical alternatives to fuel-thirsty trans-continental-range Lockheed JetStars and Gulfstream GIIs.
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