OFFICE IN THE SKY

AIRSHOW 2023 will showcase some of the most capable modern business aircraft available in the world today, in a region which by its very nature is ideal for the flexibility and speed these unique aircraft offer.

Major manufacturers who will be bringing their business aircraft to AIRSHOW 2023 include Cessna (Textron), Dassault, Embraer and Gulfstream. All are well established leaders in their fields.

Regardless of the public myth of business jets being just a perk for highly paid executives, most of these aircraft are flown as tools, not toys.

According to data from the US National Business Aviation Association, nearly half of business jet flights are not carrying a senior executive at all, but are instead being used to ferry teams of technical personnel, middle managers and customers.

On more than half their flights, operators say the business jet enables them to keep business schedules that would not be possible through airlines or other forms of transport. In 2018 more than 40 per cent of business jet destinations did not have a commercial airline service.

And heading to your destination in what is essentially a flying office rather than an airline seat has benefits too: passengers on business aircraft spend, on average, nearly two-thirds of their time working and around two thirds also say they are more productive on business aircraft flights than they are in the office.

To perform their point-to-point business roles, business jets are among the most advanced aircraft in the sky, often flying higher, further and faster than the airlines. They incorporate advanced systems such as digital flight controls, vision systems that help pilots “see” airports in low light and sensors that alert a pilot when their approach to a runway is too steep or too fast.

The following is a snapshot of some of the business jets that will be on show at AIRSHOW 2023. But please note, as working aircraft these jets may not stay for the whole show.

Most manufacturers will bring two aircraft, a long-haul globetrotting larger aircraft, and a medium range aircraft used more often for regional flights.

A returning visitor to AIRSHOW, Dassault’s longhaul 8X can fly eight passengers and three crew nearly 12,000km. That’s London to Singapore, or

The Embraer Phenom 300E has been the bestselling light business jet for 10 years running, and, is the fastest and longest-ranged single-pilot jet in production. Single pilot means cheaper operating costs, plus the ability for owners to pilot the aircraft themselves. And “light” doesn’t have to mean limited: the Phenom 300E can fly from Perth to Melbourne, Brisbane or Jakarta in one hop. Embraer is also bringing its smaller sevenpassenger Phenom 100EV entry level jet.

Cessna sold its first Citation business jet in 1972. In 2022 it delivered the 8000th. The worldwide Citation fleet has now surpassed 41 million flight hours. Now part of Textron Aviation, the range includes everything from single-pilot personal jets to the Latitude midsize jet (seen here) and the flagship “super-midsize” Longitude, with transatlantic range. AIRSHOW 2023 will feature a Citation Latitude and a Citation CJ3+.

Gulfstream is renowned for its long-legged globetrotting “G” series, one of the best-selling business jets of all time, despite being at the premium end of the market. The G550 debuted in 2003, and by the end of 2019 Gulfstream had delivered 600. Demonstrating different products for different markets, Gulfstream will also bring its “super-midsize” G280.

Italian manufacturer Piaggio will bring its rare Avanti II turboprop business aircraft to AIRSHOW for static display. The revolutionary Avanti uses a forward canard wing, moving the main wing and its two rear-facing propellors well aft to avoid encroaching on cabin space. The result is an aircraft which Avanti says is faster than many business jets, with lower operating costs.