CLEVELAND & GENEVA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Nextant Aerospace today announced that it has delivered its 10th production unit of the 400XT, the worlds only FAA-certified remanufactured business jet. The N registered aircraft was delivered to a private client that will operate the plane in a traditional corporate flight department environment. Nextant reached this production milestone just seven months after gaining FAA certification, and is on schedule to deliver 32 aircraft by the end of 2012.

With production fully underway, Nextant has ramped up its staff, going from 28 employees a year ago to more than 150 today. Each 400XT requires nearly 6,000 person-hours to produce because of an extensive remanufacturing process, which effectively makes it a new plane in all material aspects by taking all life-limited components to zero-time status, either through replacement or complete overhaul.

Weve been gratified by the markets recognition of the benefits achieved through our complete aircraft remanufacturing process, said Jay Heublein, vice president, sales and marketing for Nextant Aerospace. Todays business jet customers increasingly demand superior value-both in terms of acquisition cost, operating economics, performance and comfort. The 400XT is the only light jet that truly offers all of these features in one complete package.

This delivery milestone comes on the heels of Nextants recent announcement that it has acquired a larger remanufacturing facility for the 400XT. The new facility, at Clevelands Cuyahoga County Airport, will accommodate an annual production rate of 48 aircraft to meet higher than projected demand for the 400XT, both in the United States and globally. Nextants current book of orders is approaching 70 aircraft to be delivered over the next five years.

Thirty percent of sales to date have come from overseas markets, and the aircraft has completed many of the requirements for final certification by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which is expected to further increase sales in Europe. The planes exceptional range enables flights originating in Western Europe to reach major destinations throughout the rest of Europe, Russia and the Middle East. Flights originating in the U.S. can fly nonstop to most destinations in North America, Central America and the Caribbean.

The Nextant 400XTs exceptional combination of value and performance including its dramatic improvements in range and best in class operating economics are making it the aircraft of choice for private aviation, added Heublein. As awareness of the 400XT grows, we are seeing increasing interest from corporate flight departments and affluent individual buyers, as well as from providers of high-end charter and fractional ownership aviation services, in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere.

The 400XT development process employs a remanufactured airframe from the Beechjet 400A/XP aircraft, enhanced with new, state-of-the-art technology including the Williams FJ44-3AP turbofan engine, the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 integrated avionics suite, advanced electronics, including high-speed wireless Internet service, and completely rebuilt interiors.

The resulting aircraft has a 2,005 nautical mile (3,713 km) range and cruising speed of 460 nautical miles per hour (740 km per hour). It supports a remarkable 30 percent reduction in operating costs over the Beechjet 400XP, fuel efficiency improvements of 20-30 percent, depending on the length of the flight segment, significantly reduced carbon emissions and noise compliance that exceeds Stage IV requirements.

The 400XT is considered to be a new type in the Aircraft Bluebook. Further options include additional avionics features, and an optional seating configuration that allows for the most leg room of any light jet in production without sacrificing seating capacity.

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Nextant Aerospace Hits Delivery Milestone for 400XT Aircraft