Dassault to unveil business jet, sees lower deliveries

Dassault Aviation took a step closer on Friday to refreshing its line-up of business jets, saying the first flight of its Falcon 6X was imminent and promising details of a new Future Falcon aircraft in “months or even weeks”. The two initiatives are crucial if Dassault is to maintain its grip on the corporate jet market after a development setback, but shares in the French planemaker stumbled as it predicted lower deliveries for the existing Falcon series in 2021. CE Eric Trappier said the maiden flight of the Pratt & Whitney-powered Falcon 6X would be announced in days. It replaces the Falcon 5X, which was cancelled in 2017 when France’s Safran failed to develop a new engine on time. The first example of the large-cabin jet will be delivered at the end of 2022, he said.<br/>