Columbus, Ohio – Reported by Elite Traveler, the Private Jet Lifestyle Magazine
NetJets® Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway company, announced today the completion of a purchase agreement with Bombardier Aerospace to add up to a combined 120 new Bombardier Global aircraft into the NetJets fleet, including the Global 5000*, Global Express XRS Vision*, Global 7000* and Global 8000* aircraft. The agreement includes a firm order from NetJets for 50 Global business jets valued at a retail price of $2.8 billion, with options for an additional 70 Global aircraft. The firm order comprises 30 Global 5000 Vision and Global Express XRS Vision aircraft, with deliveries scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2012, as well as 20 firm orders for Bombardier’s newly-launched Global 7000 and Global 8000 jets, with deliveries of these aircraft to begin in 2017. At a total retail price exceeding $6.7B, this is the largest aircraft purchase agreement in the history of private aviation. Additional terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The Global aircraft fleet will be designed to NetJets’ specifications, including cabin technologies and features based on the requirements of NetJets Owners. This announcement is the next step in the execution of a 10-year fleet plan that will provide NetJets Owners with the fleet options, safety, service and reliability they have come to expect from the worldwide leader in private aviation.
According to NetJets Chairman and Chief Executive Officer David L. Sokol, “We are taking advantage of the current lull in the private aviation market to position the NetJets fleet for the future. Although we anticipate 2011 to be another difficult year, when Bombardier begins to make deliveries of these aircraft, we will be ready to satisfy the market’s demand.”
The decision to add the Global aircraft family to the NetJets fleet was based upon Owner research, a comprehensive view of flight patterns and service requirements, as well as NetJets’ unique insight into the continued global growth of business aviation. The demand for large cabin, long-range aircraft has remained steady through the recent economic downturn and will continue to grow as the new Global 7000 and Global 8000 aircraft with greater range become available in 2017, opening new global markets, such as the Pacific Rim. “No one knows more about the existing and forward-looking needs and operational requirements of private aircraft Owners than NetJets,” added NetJets Inc. President Jordan Hansell. “The Global aircraft family is ideally suited to our Owners’ needs for range, reliability, interior comfort and operating efficiency,” Hansell said. “These aircraft will be an excellent complement to our existing large cabin capabilities and overall fleet, which is unmatched in private aviation.”
“We are very proud to have NetJets, the worldwide leader in private aviation, select the Bombardier Global aircraft family,” said Steve Ridolfi, President, Bombardier Business Aircraft. “The Global aircraft family offers the ultimate in performance, cabin comfort and technology. We are especially happy that NetJets shares our excitement in the Global aircraft family strategy, including our recently-launched Global 7000 and Global 8000 jets.”
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Today, NetJets operates a global fleet of more than 800 aircraft from several leading aircraft manufacturers, including: Cessna, Dassault, Gulfstream and Hawker-Beechcraft. Since 2000, NetJets has taken delivery of more than 600 aircraft from both domestic and foreign manufacturers, including 554 aircraft from U.S. manufacturers. In October 2010, NetJets announced a purchase agreement for up to 125 Embraer Phenom 300 Platinum Edition aircraft to add to the company’s light cabin fleet. In the next several years, NetJets will continue to be in the market for aircraft designed to meet the exacting standards of NetJets Owners.
The new Bombardier Global aircraft will be developed by Bombardier in cooperation with NetJets. Deliveries of the new aircraft have been scheduled to begin in late 2012 to align with NetJets’ operating costs, capital structure and projections of market demand, while allowing for regularly-scheduled life-cycle aircraft disposal.
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