Bombardier yesterday announced the sale of two Learjets here at EBACE to European Skytime of Gloucestershire in the UK. The Canadian manufacturer will deliver the Learjet 40XR and 45XR to Skytime within two years.

Growing from a charter broker into an operator offering block charter time at fixed rates with guaranteed access to aircraft, European Skytime currently offers a fleet including Learjet 31, 45, 60 and Challenger 604 aircraft in partnership with Bombardier Skyjet International. It is starting to build up its own fleet with the two Learjets it is acquiring.

Bombardier marks a large presence at this year’s EBACE and stresses that its sales in Europe are particularly strong. According to GAMA statistics, Bombardier delivered 59 jets in the light to super-large categories in the first quarter of this year. The figure includes 14 Learjet 40/45s, five Learjet 60s, 12 Challenger 300s, 10 Challenger 604/605s, 12 Global 5000/Express XRSes and three VIP-configured regional jets.

The manufacturer’s participation in the static display includes a Learjet 40XR and a 45XR, while the Challenger line is represented by a 300 and a 605. A Global 5000 is available for demo flights throughout the show.

A Bombardier team brimming with optimism presented the new Learjet logo on press day here at EBACE yesterday. The logo underlines Bombardier’s determination to maintain and promote the Learjet range, including the 40XR, 45XR and 60XR models. While these aircraft still resemble the original Learjet 20 series, all models since the Learjet 45 and the shorter 40 are, in fact, entirely new designs. The new Learjet 60XR, due to enter service in June this year, will be the seventh model launched since Bombardier acquired the Learjet line in 1990.