SAINT-CLOUD, France, November 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Dassault Falcon has received Type Certificate for the Falcon 7X from the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in India, confirming that the Falcon 7X meets the rigorous safety standards outlined by the national airworthiness authorities and allows registration of the Falcon 7X in the country.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091120/367643 )

Falcon 2000 and 900 models are already certified in India and around 16 large cabin Falcons are in service in the country.

The first Falcon 7X in India will be delivered in January 2010 to Religare Voyages Limited, a charter company based in New Delhi. It is part of a multi-billion dollar integrated transnational promoter group straddling financial services, diagnostics, health & wellness, and IT services. Religare Voyages currently operates a Falcon 2000, together with smaller jets and turboprops.

A dozen of other large cabin Falcons, including several 7X aircraft, are currently on order for customers in India. The performances of the Falcons are especially valued in India, where short airfields, elevated runways, and high temperatures are common. Dassault has also established in the last few years a spares center in Mumbai, along with a customer service team based in Mumbai, a liaison office in Delhi, and service centers approved by Indian DGCA.

"India has been one of our strongest markets over several years so Falcon 7X type certification is of real significance," said John Rosanvallon, President and CEO of Dassault Falcon. "As the country's economy continues to strengthen, there will be an increasing need to connect India efficiently with other major centers of trade around the world. For example, the Falcon 7X provides direct, non-stop access from Chennai, India with London City Airport located in the center of London." The Falcon 7X is the first and only business jet to incorporate a digital flight control system which provides greater operational safety and a smoother flight. The aircraft also comes standard with the award-winning EASy flight deck, designed to reduce pilot workload and improve pilot interaction through enhanced situational awareness in the cockpit.

Announced at the Paris Air Show in 2001, the Falcon 7X was the first large cabin jet to be simultaneously certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on April 27, 2007. It is powered by three highly reliable and efficient Pratt & Whitney Canada PW307A engines, which help to give the Falcon 7X a greater airport performance and increased peace of mind during long flights over water. The Falcon 7X also has 15-30 per cent greater fuel efficiency than other aircraft in the large cabin, long range class. With a range of 5,950 nm (eight passengers, M.80 with NBAA IFR reserves), the aircraft can comfortably connect 95 per cent of the commonly used business aviation city pairs worldwide.

About Dassault Falcon

Dassault Falcon is responsible for selling and supporting Falcon business jets throughout the world. It is part of Dassault Aviation, a leading aerospace company with a presence in over 70 countries across 5 continents. Dassault Aviation produces the Rafale fighter jet as well as a complete line of Falcon business jets. The company has assembly and production plants in both France and the United States and service facilities on multiple continents. It employs a total workforce of over 12,000. Since the rollout of the first Falcon 20 in 1963, 2000 Falcon jets have been delivered to more than 67 countries worldwide. The family of Falcon jets currently in production includes the tri-jets-the Falcon 900LX, 900DX, and the 7X-as well as the twin-engine 2000LX.

Photo Gallery

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