Class warfare is much in the headlines of late, and there’s a sort of parallel in business aviation. While the wealthiest citizens and corporations are sitting on mounds of cash for fear of investing it in the wrong place in troubled times, the middle class, the poor and many small businesses are feeling the financial deprivation of this downturn day-to-day. So goes it in the hierarchy of business-jet manufacturers.
Between them, GAMA goliaths Bombardier and Gulfstream account for $4.25 billion of the 21 GAMA OEM members’ $7.3 billion in first-half billings this year. Gulfstream (with first-half billings of $2.1 billion) is doing relatively well selling in the top stratum of dedicated business jets–those with the most cabin volume, the highest performance and the loftiest prices–while OEMs (including Gulfstream) catering to potential buyers of lesser airplanes are for the most part struggling to sell them. Both Bombardier and Gulfstream are developing new flagships to be ready for duty in better economic times; Gulfstream’s Mach 0.925 G650 will be first in service when deliveries of green aircraft begin, possibly before year-end.
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