New Winglets, GE LEAP Engines Offer Increased Range

Boeing Business Jets President Steve Taylor was on hand at NBAA Monday to announce the new BBJ MAX line of aircraft, which will launch with the BBJ Max 8 and BBJ Max 9. Derived from the 737 MAX and featuring several new improvements, the BBJ namesakes now match the naming conventions of the airline versions they are based on.

“We are very excited to be bringing a new product to the market,” said Taylor. The new aircraft will further Boeing’s position in the large cabin, ultra-long range business jet market. The BBJ Max 8, which is derived from the BBJ 2, and the BBJ Max 9, derived from the BBJ 3, offer a range of up to 6300 nautical miles, the most of any BBJ product to date.

Equipped with GE LEAP 1B engines, new winglets, and other miscellaneous aerodynamic improvements, the BBJ MAX 8 offers a 14% increase in range compared to previous models. “For our market, range is really what matters,” Taylor emphasized. First to market will be the BBJ MAX 8, followed by the MAX 9. Taylor also mentioned Boeing was considering a BBJ MAX 7 version based on the Dash 7.

Though Boeing has completed eight of twelve BBJ deliveries scheduled in 2012 (including one equipped with the new AeroLoft interior), Taylor cautions that “it remains a very tough market.”  Going forward, Taylor alluded to an increase in gross weight for the not-yet-confirmed BBJ MAX 7, which would provide a large boost in range. “There is definitely a market out there for a 7000 mile range airplane,” Taylor stressed.

The BBJ press conference comes on the heels of Taylor’s recent cross-continent BBJ flight. On September 17th, 2012 he piloted a BBJ non-stop from Los Angeles to Auckland, New Zealand, a flight of over 5,600 miles.

FMI: www.boeing.com