Dassault Aviation, a French aircraft manufacturer of military, regional, and business jets, is showcasing its large cabin, long range business jet, Falcon 7X, at the Africa Aerospace & Defence (AAD) expo in Gauteng, South Africa.

The event, which is currently under way, will extend till September 21.

AAD is billed as the foremost exhibit of aviation technology on the African continent. More than a third of Africa’s business jets and some of its biggest operators are based in South Africa.

“Sub-Saharan Africa is an area of fast growth and industries such as mining, oil and gas and agriculture are booming which provides expanding demand for business aviation,” said Gilles Gautier, vice president, Falcon Sales for Dassault Aviation.

“Falcons, with their exceptional short field and hot-and-high performance and low operating economics, are ideal for the tough conditions and vast expanses of this market,” he said.

Among their many advantages, Falcons can access challenging airports where competitors are unable to operate or can operate only with limited range, he said.

These features have enabled Dassault to capture a commanding 33 per cent share of the African market and a quarter of the large cabin segment. The popularity of the Falcon line is not limited to the business community: Government users operate 30 per cent of the Falcons on the continent.

The newly introduced very large cabin Falcon 5X and ultra-long range Falcon 8X are expected to further boost African demand. The twin-engine 5X will feature the highest and widest cabin in business aviation. The 6,450 nm 8X, an extended version of the 7X featuring an unparalleled selection of cabin configurations will enable customers to fly non-stop from Cape Town to London or Johannesburg to Moscow while benefiting from the outstanding operating economy and flexibility offered by the 7X.

Falcon sales and deliveries are led by the 5,950 nautical mile range Falcon 7X, the most flexible and popular of the large cabin business jets. Dassault recently celebrated the rollout of the 250th 7X. – TradeArabia News Service