The Bombardier Global Express: A Quietly Impressive Business Jet

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The Bombardier Global Express, a large cabin, 6,000 nmi range business jet manufactured by Bombardier Aerospace, is powered by two BMW-Rolls-Royce BR710s and shares its fuselage cross-section with the Canadair jets with a new wing and tail.

The Global Express is the business jet with the second-largest cabin after the Gulfstream G650 and can carry 12 to 16 passengers in three cabin sections: a forward four-chair club section, a central four-seat conference grouping, and an aft three-place divan facing two chairs. The jet also includes a forward galley, crew rest chair and crew lavatory.

Considered the pioneer of ultra-long-range private jets, the Bombardier Global Express provides range, comfort, and speed. Extensive cabin insulation reduced noise, and superior engines produce less audible vibration. The jet also includes an array of standard and optional cabin amenities, such as a 17 channel SATCOM, fax machine, cabin entertainment system with DVD, CD players, and individual video screens.

The Stunning Interior of the Bombardier Global Express

The Stunning Interior of the Bombardier Global Express

According to Aviation Week, “Pilots like the aircraft’s systems redundancy, soft control feel, ride quality, short runway performance on medium-length trips, cockpit and cabin comfort, and very low cabin noise levels. They also say the systems are automated, checklists are short and it’s mostly a modern aircraft, including its auto-brake system, electronic circuit breakers, and comprehensive systems monitoring box.”

The jet has been especially popular among upscale Australian individuals and companies that own high-end private jets rather than charter them. Of all jets, the Bombardier Global Express is by far the most popular aircraft.

With its spacious cabin and a range of up to 6700 nautical miles in the most popular variant flown in Australia, the BD-700-1A10, the Global Express can travel non-stop anywhere in Asia. Flights to the US stop to refuel in Honolulu before reaching the mainland, while European flights fill up the tank in the Maldives.

“They are truly intercontinental business jets,” says David Bell, the chief executive of the Australian Business Aviation Association. “This affords those customers and those owners a lot of flexibility and a lot of privacy. They are not concerned with airline delays or cancellations.”