Bombardier Aviation has grown into one of the world’s largest and most well-known business jet manufacturers. Bombardier, the industrial company that established Bombardier Aviation, began operations as a snowmobile manufacturer in 1942. However, over time, the corporation has expanded its products to include public transportation vehicles and trains.
However, in the 1980s, Bombardier bought Canadair, a big Canadian aircraft manufacturer best known for developing the Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ) and the Challenger 600 series, a large business jet.
Additionally, in 1989, Bombardier bought Short Brothers, an Irish manufacturer, resulting in the formation of a new business sector known as Bombardier Aviation.
In addition, in the early 1990s, Bombardier Aviation bought Learjet, a business jet maker in Wichita, Kansas, and de Havilland Aircraft of Canada, which produced a wide range of aircraft variations, expanding the company’s interests in the private aviation market.
Bombardier Aviation continued to produce numerous popular business jets, as well as many commercial aircraft, including the Dash 8 Series 400 and many Canadair CRJ regional airliners. The business later attempted to investigate and construct the newer CSeries regional plane.
However, as the joint venture program produced severe financial troubles for Bombardier, Airbus bought it and renamed it the Airbus A220. It also built the Bombardier 415, a well-known waterbomber for aerial firefighting operations.
Bombardier has spent several years developing its popular private jet line. Bombardier Aviation continued to produce many Learjet types, while the final Learjet aircraft program, the Learjet 70, was terminated in 2021.
It also continued to develop the Canadair Challenger 600, which is still manufactured today in an improved configuration. The manufacturer also created a smaller counterpart of the Challenger series, known as the Challenger 300 family of aircraft.
Bombardier has become best known for its Global line of business aircraft. Let’s take a closer look at this popular aircraft category. Let’s also look at the newest aircraft in the series, the Global 7500, and why it’s so popular around the world.
The history of the Bombardier Global series
After acquiring Canadair in 1986, Bombardier decided to continue producing both the CRJ and 600 series. Bombardier also sought to expand its popular business jet offering with a larger aircraft that could travel further than the Challenger 600 at the time.
Bombardier enlisted the support of several engineering teams, including Canadair, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and BMW Rolls-Royce.
The initiative was officially initiated in the early 1990s, with many engineering teams working on different aspects of the project. The new program, which later became known as the Bombardier Global Express, made use of a variety of sophisticated design methodologies.
This includes using computer-aided design (CAD) software for kinematics, finite-element analysis tools for structural design, and computational fluid dynamics software for aerodynamic analysis.
Bombardier announced the initiative to the public in October 1991 at the annual National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) meeting. By 1995, Bombardier said that the futuristic aircraft had been sold out until at least 2000.
That same year, the business began building its first prototype. In October 1996, the first prototype took its first flight.
The aircraft was formally certified by the Canadian civil aviation authority in July 1998, and certification by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) followed later that year. It went into operation as the Bombardier Global Express in July 1999.
The Global Express took the private aircraft market by storm. This was the first aircraft constructed in the Global series. There have been nearly 1,000 total versions made, including the enhanced variants listed below:
- Bombardier Global XRS
- Global 5000
- Global 5500
- Global 6000
- Global 6500
How did the Bombardier Global 7500 program begin?
Throughout the 2000s, Bombardier enjoyed continued success with the Global Express series. However, in the late 2000s, Bombardier recognized the possibility for a new ultra-long-range business aircraft with a larger cabin.
This aircraft would be the largest purpose-built business jet on the market, with the longest range of any aircraft in the private aviation industry.
Bombardier formally unveiled the new program in October 2010. This aircraft, formerly dubbed the Global 7000, was set to enter service in 2016.
However, Bombardier decided to create this aircraft from scratch, which meant that the engineering and development process would be lengthier than usual. Furthermore, Bombardier decided to modify the wing in 2015, which slowed the certification process. The wing redesign was completed in February 2017.
The first prototype had its first flight in March 2017. This formally began the rigorous flight testing procedure for a fresh clean-sheet design.
By September 2018, Bombardier has completed the flight testing program, with over 2,700 total flight hours. The aircraft received type approval from Transport Canada in September 2018, followed by the FAA in November 2018. It was formally put into service in December 2018.
Since its launch, more than 200 Global 7500s have been manufactured. It is the world’s largest purpose-built business jet, and it had the longest range of any business jet until the Gulfstream G700 was certified and launched in early 2024.
However, the Global 7500 serves as the foundation for the following Global variation, the Global 8000. Bombardier anticipates this aircraft will have the longest range of any business jet available in the world.
Design features and performance specifications of the Bombardier Global 7500
As previously stated, the Global 7500 is the world’s largest purpose-built business aircraft, making it one of the most expensive and opulent private jet alternatives available. The cabin is exceptionally big, with a maximum capacity of 19 passengers depending on configuration.
It can be divided into four inner zones, each with a club suite, conference suite, entertainment suite, or even a private suite, among other choices. The Global 7500 also has the Bombardier Pure Air purification system, which continuously cleans the cabin air throughout flight.
It also has the “nice Touch” cabin management system for guests, which includes a Touch dial, suite controllers, a 4K home theater experience, and an independent tablet app. Overall, the interior cabin has these dimensions:
- Cabin length: 54 feet five inches
- Cabin width: eight feet
- Cabin height: six feet two inches
Inside the cockpit, the Global 7500 employs the Bombardier Vision flight deck, which includes fly-by-wire and avionics capabilities.
The integrated flight deck offers an upgraded and synthetic vision system, separate side sticks, an ergonomic flight display, integrated EFB mounts, intuitive flight controls, and other efficiency-enhancing innovations.
Similar to the CSeries regional airliners, the Global 7500 has an airframe built of aluminum-lithium alloys, which helps to lower the aircraft’s overall weight. It uses a similar fly-by-wire flight control system.
The aircraft also features a newly designed transonic wing with a 35-degree sweep. It also has efficient winglets and inboard Fowler flaps, as well as heavily loaded wing dampening mechanisms that reduce turbulence.
The Bombardier Global 7500 is propelled by two rear-mounted General Electric Passport turbofan engines. These powerful and efficient engines give the airplane roughly 19,000 pounds of thrust each. This thrust ratio enables the aircraft to meet the following performance specifications:
| Length | 111 feet |
|---|---|
| Height | 27 feet |
| Wingspan | 104 feet |
| Maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) | 114,850 pounds |
| Maximum operating speed | Mach 0.925 (704 miles per hour) |
| Typical cruise speed | Mach 0.85 (647 miles per hour) |
| Range | 7,700 nautical miles (8,861 miles) |
| Service ceiling | 51,000 feet |
Various Bombardier Global 7500 operators
Over time, the Global 7500 has become one of the most distinguished business jets to own or fly. A diverse range of operators have begun to use the aircraft, including ultra-wealthy entrepreneurs and business executives, major charter companies, and other businesses.
Some of the notable celebrities and business professionals who use a Bombardier Global 7500 include the following:
- Kylie Jenner
- Beyoncé and Jay-Z
- Jackie Chan
- John Travolta
- Chamath Palihapitiya
Additionally, the largest operator of the Global 7500 is NetJets, the world’s largest private jet charter firm. NetJets runs over twenty Global 7500s, with plans to convert the majority of these aircraft to the Global 8000 once it is certified.
VistaJet, Comlux, London Air Services, and AvWest are some of the other charter businesses that use Global 7500 aircraft.
