The major airplane manufacturers at a glance
By Mark Huber - August 1, 2009
Fewer than a dozen airplane manufacturers account for the vast majority of business jets and turboprops being built today. Here are the key facts about each of those manufacturers, including data on their parent companies, their 2008 business aircraft sales and the models they offer.
Airbus
Airliner manufacturer Airbus followed Boeing into the pre-packaged bizliner market in 1997 when it announced the Airbus Corporate Jet (ACJ), a then $35 million executive version of its Airbus A319 airliner. At first, ACJ sales lagged those of Boeing’s 737 airliner variant. But in recent years, ACJ sales have surpassed Boeing’s on an annual basis, thanks largely to orders from the Middle East and Asia-Pacific regions. In 2006 Airbus established a beachhead in Miami to market the ACJ more aggressively to the North American market and added a second U.S. authorized completion center to finish the aircraft’s custom interiors.
The A319 ACJ is one of four aircraft (A318, A319, A320 and A321) in Airbus’s A320 family. Worldwide, more than 2,600 A320 family aircraft are flying, mostly for the airlines. More than 800 of them are based in the U.S. with airlines that include Delta, Frontier, Jet Blue, United and US Airways. Airbus claims that more than 25,000 pilots are qualified to fly the airplane and that the fleet has accumulated more than 40 million flight hours and enjoys a dispatch rate of 99.6 percent.
Boeing Business Jets
The BBJ spawned in 1996 from a partnership between Boeing and General Electric (maker of the CFM-56 series of engines for newer-generation 737s). Now entering its fifth decade of production, the 737 twinjet is the most successful and ubiquitous jetliner ever produced.
The BBJ took components of two 737 models, the 737-700 series airframe and the larger 737-800 series wing, landing gear and center fuselage section. Anywhere from three to 10 auxiliary fuel tanks can be installed in the belly of the airplane, giving it a maximum unrefueled range of 6,196 nautical miles (eight passengers) or 14 hours in the air. A larger, stretched version called the BBJ2 boasts 25 percent more cabin capacity, but at the price of slightly reduced range. In 2005, Boeing announced the even larger BBJ3, based on the Next-Generation 737-900ER. The BBJ3 has 1,120 square feet of cabin space. More than 100 BBJs have been sold.
Bombardier Aerospace
Bombardier began as a snowmobile manufacturer in 1942 and has grown into one of the world’s largest manufacturers of rail cars, business jets and regional airliners. Over the years, the company has expanded its aircraft business largely through acquisitions, buying brands such as Canadair, DeHavilland, Learjet and Shorts.
Bombardier entered the business jet market through its Canadair and Learjet acquisitions. Canadair had acquired the manufacturing rights to an innovative business jet designed by Learjet founder William Lear. The Learstar 600 featured a stand-up cabin, high-efficiency engines and a new airfoil design. It was later badged the Challenger 600.
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