Paris Air Show: Dassault makes first delivery of Falcon 7X business jet

Paris: The first production version of Dassault's long-awaited new tri-jet, the Falcon 7X, entered service last week, rolling out of the company's Little Rock, Ark., facility to make a non-stop flight to Le Bourget, for the Paris Air Show, on June 13.

The aircraft (s/n 05) was meant for delivery to Gilbert Chagoury, founder and chairman of The Chagoury Group, the Falcon 7X's first customer.

The next Falcon 7X (s/n 04) is to be delivered in the coming days to Serge Dassault and will be on display at the Dassault Aviation static display at the Paris Air Show.

Chagoury was the first order holder for the Falcon 7X when he signed for the jet in November 2001. Since then the order backlog stands at over 165 aircraft.

Announced at the Paris Air Show in 2001, the Falcon 7X was simultaneously certified by both the EASA and FAA on April 27, 2007.

Dassault bills the Falcon 7X as the first business jet in the world equipped with a digital flight control system. It features Dassault's EASy Flight Deck and is powered by three Pratt & Whitney Canada PW307A engines. The 7X's range of 5,950 nm, allows it to comfortably connect 95% of the commonly accessed cities around the world.

"The technical achievements of the Falcon 7X programme and the dedication of the programme  engineers and Dassault employees worldwide are well known," said John Rosanvallon, president and CEO of Dassault Falcon. "However, equally important is the support and encouragement of the Falcon 7X customers like Gilbert Chagoury who have been with us through every step of the development, manufacturing and flight test process."