Dassault Aviation added its new Falcon 8X to the list of Falcons approved for operations at London City Airport (LCY). The approval comes less than seven months after the trijet entered service this past October. With the clearance, Dassaultās entire in-production fleetāincluding the 7X, 900LX and 2000S/LXāis now certified to operate at LCY, considered one of the most challenging airports operationally.
With its location in the middle of Londonās financial district, LCY has some of the most restrictive steep-approach and noise-abatement regulations in business aviation, Dassault notes. Aircraft must be able to fly a 5.5-degree glidepath.
āThe ability to fly in and out of London City, and other hard-to-reach airports, affords a measure of flexibility and a significant operating benefit to our customers,ā said Dassault Aviation chairman and CEO Eric Trappier. āAirport performance is among the top design priorities for every Falcon that Dassault has produced.ā
The 8X has the longest range of any Falcon at 6,450 nm, enabling it to fly from Los Angeles or Hong Kong to LCY nonstop. In addition to the LCY approval, Dassault also recently secured certification for its optional FalconEye combined-vision system on the trijet.