Bizjet maker Bombardier last week handed over the ceremonial keys for a Global 6000 jet to fractional firm NetJets even though the airplane won’t be ready for actual delivery until much later this year. It is only now entering completion, the stage at which the final touches, interior, paint and avionics are added. The event apparently intended to remind people of the Canadian airframer’s huge order from NetJets last March, a deal that certainly worth remembering for Bombardier.
In what it claimed to be the largest order in the history of private aviation, NetJets ordered 50 Global business jets from Bombardier and added options for another 70 Global aircraft. Without the options — which sometimes aren’t converted or aren’t converted entirely in large fleet orders — the value of the deal is still staggering, with a firm order value of approximately $2.8 billion “based on list prices” for 30 Global 5000s and 6000s. How much of a discount on that retail price NetJets will get was not disclosed but is likely significant. Final deliveries of the jets are expected to begin late this year, a safe bet considering the first Global 6000 has already entered completion.
