Why delivery milestones matter
Manufacturers have been celebrating a lot of delivery milestones last week. Bombardier delivered the 50th Global 7500; Gulfstream the 100th G500/G600 family jet; and Textron Aviation its 1,000th 560XL jet series (Cessna Citation Excel, Cessna Citation XLS and Cessna Citation XLS+ models). The G500 only entered service in September 2018 and the G600 in August 2019. The first Global 7500 was delivered in December 2018.
Delivery announcements are more than just a chance to issue a press release. Reaching 50 or more deliveries reassures potential customers that the aircraft is a success.
“When I was selling new Hawkers, there were major flight departments that had arbitrary numbers of 50 to 100 units before they wanted to buy,” says Mike McCracken, of Hawkeye Aircraft Acquisitions.