DASSAULT AVIATION RETURNS TO AVALON AUSTRALIAN AIRSHOW
Dassault Aviation is exhibiting its ultra-long range, large-cabin Falcon 8X and super mid-size Falcon 2000LX at this year’s Avalon Australian International Airshow, which opens at Avalon Airport, near Melbourne, on February 28 and runs through March 5.
“Avalon is Australia’s premier airshow and provides an ideal platform to meet with our Falcon customers,” said Eric Trappier, Chairman & CEO of Dassault Aviation. “The number of Falcons operating in and around Australia has continued to grow, and we anticipate this year’s event— the first since 2019—to be very active. We’re thrilled to be back.”
Trappier noted that Falcons have always been very popular “Down Under” because of their advanced technology, military heritage, and unrivaled agility for better access.
“With the arrival of the new, extra-widebody Falcon 6X and ultra-long range Falcon 10X—both of which are generating tremendous excitement—we expect the Falcon brand to be more popular than ever.”
The 6X and 10X will feature a larger cabin-cross section than any other purpose-built business jet and set a new standard in passenger well-being and comfort. The 6X is due to enter service in the middle of this year and the 10X, in late 2025.
The 6,450 nm/11,945 km Falcon 8X can fly non-stop from Melbourne and Sydney to any destination in the Asia Pacific, or fly to London and Los Angeles in one hop. The 8X is offered with Dassault’s unique FalconEye head-up display (HUD), which combines synthetic vision with an enhanced vision to provide pilots with better situational awareness at night and in poor weather conditions down to a decision height of 100 feet.
The super-midsize Falcon 2000LXS features exceptional agility and short-field performance for an aircraft of its range and cabin size. From Melbourne, the 2000LXS can fly non-stop to anywhere in Australia, the neighbouring Pacific, and even to Southeast Asian capitals like Kuala Lumpur, Ho Chi Minh City, or Manila.
A long history in Australia
Australia and Dassault Aviation share a long history. Avalon Airport was built in the early 1950s to accommodate final assembly, flight-testing, and maintenance for Dassault Mirage fighters operated by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), which is a major supporter of the Avalon Airshow.
The Mirage fighter was the mainstay of the RAAF fighter fleet through the 1960s, 1970s and much of the 1980s, and the Air Force went on to acquire more than 100 aircraft.
The RAAF also operated three Falcon Mystere 20C VIP aircraft, from 1967 to 1989, and five Falcon 900 VIP units (which remained in service until 2002), and flies three Falcon 7X VIP aircraft today.
“The RAAF was one of the very first Falcon Mystere 20 operators,” remarked Trappier. “And it’s worth noting that this year Dassault is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Falcon brand, which dates back to the first flight of the Mystere 20 on May 4, 1963.”
With the arrival of the new, extra-widebody Falcon 6X and ultra-long range Falcon 10X—both of which are generating tremendous excitement—we expect the Falcon brand to be more popular than ever.
Reinforced product support
Dassault Aviation’s wholly-owned ExecuJet MRO Services unit, acquired in 2019, enables Falcon operators to benefit from a full line of product support services anywhere in Australia. It operates heavy maintenance centres in Melbourne, Perth and Sydney and provides routine support at a number of line stations across the country. At the end of the year, ExecuJet MRO will open a 144,000 sq. ft. facility in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia that will be equipped to handle line and heavy maintenance for the new Falcon 6X and Falcon 10X.
