The Week in Business Aviation - June 08
June 08, 2020
Mitsubishi Completes Acquisition Of Bombardier CRJ Series Program
Bombardier has completed the sale of its CRJ Series regional jet program to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for $550 million in cash and the assumption of about $200 million in related liabilities, the company said.

Bombardier Aviation To Cut 2,500 Jobs From COVID-19 Impact
Bombardier Aviation plans to lay off 2,500 employees, primarily at its Canadian manufacturing facilities, throughout 2020 as it adjusts to lower business jet deliveries caused by challenges from COVID-19, the company said June 5.

Bye Nears Critical Design Review On All-Electric EFlyer
Bye Aerospace is approaching the critical design review for its eFlyer 2 two-seat electric training aircraft and has revealed plans to develop an all-electric six- to nine-seater in addition to the already announced four-seat eFlyer 4.

Dassault Falcon Service Converts Falcon 900B To Cargo Aircraft
Dassault Falcon Service has completed the conversion of a Falcon 900B corporate jet from a passenger configuration to cargo for use transporting fabric for face mask production.

Low Oil Prices, COVID-19 Pandemic Impact Helicopter Demand
The commercial helicopter industry was locked in a downturn even before the COVID-19 crisis. Deliveries fell again in 2019 to a low of 640 turbine helicopters from the high of 1,111 in 2013. Deliveries of piston helicopters, which had been boosted by demand for training, also declined in 2019.

Private Aviation Providers See Upswing In New Client Interest
Aircraft utilization at Flexjet has doubled in the past three weeks, while leads from potential clients are “off the charts,” as the fractional provider operates during the novel coronavirus pandemic, Flexjet CEO Mike Silvestro said on a Jefferies Equity Research webinar June 2.

Airbus Tests E-Delivery Process For Helicopters
In light of travel restrictions caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic, Airbus Helicopters has delivered its first helicopters using an e-delivery process that negates the need for the customer to travel to collect the aircraft.

All SpaceJet Flying Suspended, Production Winding Down To Zero
Judging the outlook for the Mitsubishi Aircraft SpaceJet program is not easy, not least because the company itself is unsure of what it will do. Meeting cost-cutting objectives has taken priority even over setting a schedule for achieving airworthiness certification.

1Q 2020 Helicopter Deliveries Down 28%, GAMA Says
Helicopter manufacturers delivered 122 aircraft during the first three months of 2020, down 28% from 170 during the same time a year ago, according to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA).

Kaman To Field Commercial Unmanned K-Max In 2021
Kaman Aerospace is developing a commercial unmanned aircraft system (UAS) based its K-Max heavy-lift helicopter.
From Bombardier completing the sale of its CRJ series to Mitsubishi and Bombardier cutting jobs at its Canadian manufacturing facilities to the impact of COVID-19 on helicopter demand. Take a look at last week’s roundup of biz stories.