This year’s EBACE was refreshingly upbeat. With the highest number of exhibitors and the next highest number of attendees of any EBACE to date, 511 exhibitors and 12,751 attendees respectively, this year was decidedly different from the two most recent years. Attendees spoke with cautiously optimistic tones about the state of the market and the general upswing in business. The market it definitely beginning to recover but it is still too early to say how fast, and to what extent the market will rebound this year.
As we have mentioned in previous issues, we are seeing a number of interesting trends in the market this year. Demand for heavier aircraft has increased steadily over the last two years, while Mustangs have eaten away at market share in the light jet sector. Generally, it seems that the industry is beginning to see a slow return of those travelers that turned away from charter after the 2008 crisis. Read more about these trends in this Avinode Business Intelligence based market report on AINonline.
Further signs of improving market conditions could be found in the OEM room at EBACE, where Dassault launched the Falcon 2000S, a budget version of their Falcon 2000 which can serve up to ten passengers. Entering into service in 2013, the Falcon 2000S is intended as a direct competitor for the Challenger 300 and the Gulfstream 250. We will be following this model closely to see what impact it makes on the market as soon as it hits the skies.
Bombardier also contributed to the signs of improving market conditions with their updated market forecast, released at EBACE. In the report, the Canadian aircraft manufacturer says that they expect to see 24000 business jet deliveries between 2011 and 2030. As though to illustrate that point, Bombardier also announced a confirmed order from VistaJet for two Challenger 605s and six Global 6000s.
