Bombardier’s Global 8000 took a step toward market entry with recent approvals from the FAA and Transport Canada for its GE Aerospace Passport 20 turbofans. Set to succeed the Global 7500 as Bombardier’s new flagship, the Global 8000 will offer speeds of up to Mach 0.94 and a range of up to 8,000 nm.
The 19,000-lb-thrust Passport 20 powers both variants, but was modified to enable the enhanced performance over the Global 7500’s 7,700-nm range and Mach 0.925 top speed. GE executives have described the updates primarily as software alterations rather than “turbo-machinery” changes, unlocking potential already built into the engine. This includes improving specific fuel consumption to enable the Global 8000’s longer range.
Bombardier president and CEO Éric Martel told analysts late last month that the company remains on track for delivery of the Global 8000 by year-end, and the first model slated for the market is “assembling extremely well….We’re starting to put the interior in.”
He also noted that the company had “finished flying the [flight-test] airplane. It’s more of an all-paperwork exercise that we need to consolidate and go to the authorities.”
Bombardier is offering a service bulletin to Global 7500 customers so they may upgrade to the enhanced performance in the future, and Martel noted that interest in that option has been strong.