Bombardier is closing out its year with a firm order from an undisclosed customer for a dozen Challenger 3500s valued at $326.4 million, based on list prices. Deliveries for the order announced late last week are set to begin in 2025.
The order is among several fleet deals that Bombardier has garnered for the 3500 during 2023, also including an agreement from AB Jets for three and a commitment from Airshare for an additional 20.
In addition, the order further stretches out Bombardier’s production backlog, which, according to president and CEO Éric Martel, had spanned between 18 to 24 months across its product lines by the end of the third quarter. Bombardier does not separate delivery numbers by model but the airframer had delivered 39 of its Challenger series through the first nine months of the year, a jump from the 30 delivered a year earlier. Shipments are anticipated to further scale up as Bombardier plans on delivering more than 45 of its Challengers and Globals in the fourth quarter alone, in line with its guidance.
The latest variant of Bombardier’s Challenger 300/350 series, the 3500 entered service in September 2022, bringing to market new safety features such as an autothrottle system, cabin technologies including a voice-controlled cabin management system, and some features found in the higher-end Global family such as Nuage seats.