The first customer Falcon 6X has flown from Bordeaux-Mérignac in France to Dassault’s Little Rock, Arkansas-based aircraft completion centre to be outfitted with a full production interior.
The 6X twinjet, designated S/N 5 and registered as F-WZOC, departed at 9:09am (CET) on Saturday, January 29th to arrive by 13:00pm Arkansas local time.
“The arrival of the first Falcon 6X at Little Rock marks a very positive milestone in this program,” said Eric Trappier, Dassault Aviation, chairman and CEO. “Our teams have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to prepare for 6X completion and we are benefiting from very good momentum as we move towards certification.”
Teams in Little Rock have been preparing for months for the arrival of the first 6X. A dedicated 6X technical response team has performed testing on equipment and components in preparation for manufacturing the new Falcon.
Engineers have also worked a method that will allow “one shot installation” on the 6X interior, which will help to reduce completion time says the French OEM.
Dassault announced the widebody 6X back in 2018, before it was rolled out in December 2020. In March last year, the first test 6X, S/N 1, completed its initial flight. Since then, two other 6Xs have joined the flight-test fleet.
According to Dassault, S/N 4 is currently being fitted with a full interior in Bordeaux-Mérignac and is expected to begin a world tour in the middle of this year. Type certification of the 6X is anticipated by year-end.
