Dassault Aviation’s newest flagship jet, the ultra-long-range Falcon 8X, will enter service in second half of 2016 and be delivered to its first customer in the Middle East by the end of the year.

The news was revealed by Dassault Falcon during last week’s Abu Dhabi Air Expo at Al Bateen Executive Airport in the UAE, where the French aircraft manufacturer showed off its top-of-the-line Falcon 7X jet.

About 70 Falcon business jets are currently based in the Middle East, including 20 of the fast-selling 7X, 275 of which have come off the assembly line to date. 

The regional fleet includes all current production aircraft, from the Falcon 7X and Falcon 900LX trijets to the Falcon 2000S/LXS series, as well as previous Falcon models. 

They will be joined later this year by the three-engined Falcon 8X, Dassault’s new ultra long range flagship, now nearing the end of its flight test and certification campaign.

“The GCC is a vital market for business aviation, with prestigious customers like Saudia Private Aviation, Wallan Aviation and Empire Aviation Group and some of the largest operators of the Falcon 7X,” says Dassault Aviation Chairman/CEO Eric Trappier. “I am very pleased that many Middle East customers are already showing such a strong interest in the new Falcon 8X, whose cabin design, operating economy and versatility will make it a perfect fit for their exacting business travel requirements.”

Derived from the Falcon 7X, the 6,450 nm/11,945 km Falcon 8X will offer all the advanced technological features of the popular Falcon 7X, including the industry’s quietest interior and most advanced digital flight controlled system. 

Set to enter the market in the second half of 2016 and to be delivered to its first customer in the Middle East by the end of the year, it will also feature the longest range of any Falcon along with the most extensive selection of cabin configurations available on any large cabin business jet.

The three 8X’s in the flight test programme have nearly completed all certification test requirements. The programme is currently focused on aircraft s/n 03, the first 8X equipped with a fully fitted interior. This spring, s/n 03 will undergo a global test campaign to demonstrate aircraft operational reliability and performance in different flight conditions.

“Despite the economic slowdown and lower oil prices affecting the region, we are continuing to witness strong interest in all our Dassault Falcon business jets, in particular new Falcons in development, the 8X and the 5X very wide body twin,” added Trappier.

The 5,200 nm/9,630 km Falcon 5X, due to enter service in 2020, will afford the largest cabin cross-section of any business jet and the lowest ownership and operating costs in the 5,000 nm segment.

Dassault Falcon continues to grow its product support network in the Gulf and around the world to meet the requirements of its expanding regional Falcon fleet.

The company operates a service centre, spares distribution centre and regional sales office in Dubai and a service centre and technical office in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 

The Dubai warehouse stocks more than $2 million worth of inventory, primarily for the Falcon 7X, the Falcon 900LX long range trijet and the Falcon 2000 series.

Dassault Falcon Service, Dassault’s service affiliate, recently broke ground on a five-bay maintenance, overhaul and repair facility in Bordeaux, France. Set to open in October of this year, this facility will provide expanded maintenance and retrofit capacity for the 7X, 8X, 5X and other models.

Customers in the region can also rely on Falcon Response, Dassault’s comprehensive new AOG (aircraft on ground) support service, designed to speed spare parts, repair tools and GoTeam specialists around the globe 24/7 in the event of an aircraft on ground situation. Two dedicated Falcon 900 aircraft, one based at Teterboro airport in New Jersey, US, and another at Le Bourget outside of Paris, are on call to expedite spares and technicians for Falcon customers and, if necessary, carry them on to their intended destination – an industry first.

Dassault Falcon is the global brand for Dassault business jets which are designed, manufactured and supported by Dassault Aviation and its US subsidiary Dassault Falcon Jet Corp.