Bombardier announced that its two latest entries in the Global family, the Global 5500 and Global 6500 business jets, have been certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). This certification follows the one granted by Transport Canada and the official entry into service on September 30, 2019.
The last two Global additions, the 5500 and the 6500, were certified by Transport Canada on September 24, 2019, after a flight test program at Bombardier’s test center in Wichita, Kansas. They are powered by the Pearl 15 engine, also a newcomer in Rolls-Royce’s business jet engine portfolio. Specifically made for the two new Global aircraft, it was designed in its Dahlewitz facility, in Germany.
These new business jets build on the Global 5000 and Global 6000 aircraft by offering 500 and 600 nautical miles (approximately 930 and 1111km) of additional range respectively, combined with a fuel efficiency of up to 13%, according to Bombardier. The Global 5500 can link São Paulo to Paris, as well as Moscow to Los Angeles. The Global 6500 can link Hong Kong or Singapore to London, as well as Toluca to Madrid, under certain operating conditions.
Along with the Learjet and the Challenger, the Global is one of the last aircraft families owned by Bombardier. In recent years, the Canadian manufacturer let go of its two regional jetliner families, the CRJ to Mitsubishi, and the C-Series to Airbus, as well as the Dash 8 Q-Series turboprop and the Amphibious Aircraft program (the emblematic Canadair water bombers), both sold to Viking Air.