Business | Aviation
Bombardier makes mark in emerging Mideast market
Bombardier, the leading business aircraft manufacturer by revenue, detects an increasing volume of sales coming from emerging markets, including the Middle East, according to a top company executive.
- By Nadia Saleem, Staff Reporter
- Published: 23:29 November 17, 2008
- Image Credit: Francois Nel/Gulf News
- Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy and Chairman of the General Civil Aviation Authority, opens the Middle East Business Aviation Expo and meets some of the exhibitors.
Dubai: Bombardier, the leading business aircraft manufacturer by revenue, detects an increasing volume of sales coming from emerging markets, including the Middle East, according to a top company executive.
Haley Dunne, Bombardier Business Aircraft spokesperson told Gulf News, "The international market as whole is growing at a tremendous pace for us. In large part it is due to emerging markets like Russia, China, India and of course the Middle East."
Five years ago, the proportion of sales for the Canadian manufacturer was 70 per cent from North America and 30 per cent from other regions of the world.
Now, the number has reversed, with their international sales representing 70 per cent of their total numbers.
"This doesn't mean that our sales have declined in the US. We are breaking our own records, quarter after quarter, year after year. The market internationally is exploding," Dunne said, adding that they are sustaining the sales base in America while expanding worldwide.
In the Middle East, year after year, the company has been seeing a significant increase in sales.
Dunne said their market share in the Middle East is 17 per cent of all business aircraft, with 47 jets in the market.
In the large aircraft segment, which includes the Challenger 605, she said, "We own that market share with 55 per cent."
The Challenger 605 is the biggest seller in the region for the manufacturer. Also starting to evoke more interest is the Learjet, she said.
With the emerging markets playing a greater role, Dunne said they are seeing the need to be in more air shows now. "We are doing well worldwide, and have not seen anything unusual. The market is not slowing down at all for us, in fact we have had an exceptionally strong year until now," she said.
In the second quarter ended July 31, the manufacturer received 162 orders of business jets, compared with 103 orders during the same period in 2007.
The manufacturer is backlogged until 2014, according to Dunne. Their total number of business jets delivered worldwide is at 2,145, according to company statistics, as of end of second quarter.
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