In case there was any doubt that the upper end of the bizjet market is healthy, Airbus announced Tuesday that it delivered 15 corporate aircraft last year and took orders for eight more. Granted, 13 of the 15 delivered were low-end A318s and A320s, but a couple of widebody A330 and A340 aircraft also went out the door. The total value was more than $1.5 billion. “Like our airliner business, the market for our corporate jets is worldwide and growing, as more and more customers recognise the greater capability, benefits and value that we offer, when compared with traditional business jets,” said COO John Leahy. Bombardier recently inked a deal for eight of its largest corporate airplanes and Boeing reported healthy numbers in that league, too. Embraer and Gulfstream are also riding a surge in high-end business. The uptick at the top of the market also figures in the business of suppliers that cater to it and True North Avionics is just one example.
TrueNorth sells cabin communications and entertainment systems for big business jets and has apparently missed the recession. The company said it set sales records for its SimPhone OpenCabin system and signed contracts with a long list of blue-chip providers of ultra-luxury, long-range transportation. TrueNorth says its success is a harbinger of good things to come in the bizjet sector.
