Sales Reach The 150-Order Milestone

The EADS Socata’s TBM 850 program is reportedly ending a highly successful year with record sales backlog booked for 2008 and moving fast into 2009 along with production rate growth. Nicolas Chabbert, EADS Socata’s Vice President, Sales & Marketing, said that 60 TBM 850 aircraft were sold from its 2008 order book since the allocation was opened in early September of this year.

“Never in the TBM program’s history has a year’s order capacity been filled up so fast,” Chabbert said. “This is a spectacular achievement by our sales team and distributors. It also testifies to wide public recognition of the TBM 850’s performance and overall quality. Combined with moderate fuel consumption, the TBM 850 is delivering jet speed with a low environmental signature.”

The new orders bring firm TBM 850 sales to more than 150 in the 24 months since the aircraft was launched in mid-December 2005. The majority has been purchased by US customers; with a 20% share for Europe and 10% for South America, Asia and the Pacific, and with new sales in Brazil and Australia.

Of the total sales to date, 42 TBM 850s were delivered in 2006, and another 42 to date have gone to customers in 2007. The company has scheduled deliveries of an additional nine aircraft enduring the remaining days of this month.

The TBM 850 is the world’s fastest single engine turboprop, with a maximum cruising speed of 320 KTAS at 26,000 ft (in ISA conditions). A 850-shp version of EADS Socata’s proven six-seat TBM 700 turboprop business aircraft, EADS Socata claims that the TBM 850 combines the cruising speed and travel times typical of light jets with economical direct operating costs, while offering the range and excellent payload capacity of turboprop aircraft.

FMI: www.socata.eads.net