Five Bombardier Continental Bizjets Sold

Bombardier Aerospace has sold five additional Continental business jets worth $75 million to TAG Aeronautics, the manufacturer's Middle East distributor based in Dubai.

Customer deliveries of the new "super midsize" jet are expected to begin in the spring of 2003, and TAG expects to take its first aircraft a year later. TAG now has ten Continentals on order.

"Thanks to the ongoing support of TAG Aeronautics, this region has been a strong market for Bombardier business aircraft in recent years and offers excellent growth potential," said Peter Edwards, executive VP for sales at Bombardier.

Bombardier launched the Continental at the 1999 Paris Air Show, and says the program is progressing on schedule.

Assembly of the first Continental was completed at Bombardier's Wichita, Kansas, plant in December 2000, and the aircraft is expected to fly for the first time this summer.

The second Continental is fully assembled and well into the testing phase, Bombardier said, and the third is serving as an avionics test-bed. The fourth and fifth aircraft are nearing completion.
Bombardier is planning a 1,500-hour flight test program leading to FAA/JAA certification. Once type approval is received, Bombardier plans to begin delivering green aircraft in late 2002.

Also at Paris, Bombardier disclosed creation of a factory service center at TAG's Dubai location, to support Bombardier products in the Middle East.

Slated to open in mid-2002, the facility is a joint venture between Bombardier Business Aircraft, South Africa's ExecuJet Aviation Group and Alpha 55, a TAG Aero subsidiary.