Boeing’s president of business jets Steve Hill has announced a “record year in sales” for their Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) family of aircraft. There were 30 aircraft ordered last year, including seven 787s. New orders totaled $2.9 billion.

“The most difficult challenge at the moment is having to help customers with fleet planning,” Hill said. “It’s solving how to get from now to then.”

“Then” being the Q1 2013 date they are quoting buyers now for most of the BBJ fleet. The first delivery of the 787 as a VIP aircraft will take place in 2010. Following that, Boeing will be delivering VIP 787s beginning officially in 2011. The first four 747-8VIPs are scheduled to be delivered in 2010.

First flight of the 787 Dreamliner is planned to happen sometime before mid-December. Following the flight, the aircraft will enter into a very tight flight test program. Despite the large demand for BBJs, there are no apparent plans to increase production on the aircraft.

“Boeing is constantly looking at production rates versus demand,” Hill said. “I just don’t see a build-up of production. BBJ only accounts for 2% of all Boeing’s production.” As is standard with BBJs, Boeing delivers all its VIP aircraft “green,” meaning the aircraft have no exterior paint and no interior. The customer must go to authorized sources afterward to have the interior completed.

Currently, Boeing customers are looking at about a 110% resale value on BBJs. They are, on average, reselling for about $50 million.

Source: avweb

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Epic Aircraft has called an unscheduled news conference for Wednesday at the National Business Aviation Association convention in which it is expected to announce a major funding infusion from an Indian businessman — but Airbus is also sharing the podium, and that might lend some credence to rumors that its parent company EADS was considering a shot at the very light jet market. (We heard the factory will be on the Isle of Wight, but we’ve also been told we’re wrong.) Whatever is being announced on Wednesday, it’s being described as a “strategic alliance” between Epic, India-based Kingfisher Airlines and Airbus.

In early September, an Indian newspaper reported that Vijay Mallya, the billionaire owner of Kingfisher Airlines, was poised to put $200 million of his own money into Epic. Airbus’s involvement isn’t clear, and an EADS spokesman recently told AVweb that the company was not developing a VLJ. Maybe he missed the memo.

We’ll know soon enough.

Source: avweb

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