It has already held this accolade in the super-midsize arena with its Challenger 300, which has seen its fleet climb by 37 aircraft to 280 jets since the last census. Other members of the Challenger family have also made impressive gains - the Challenger 850 by 26 and the Challenger 605 by 40 aircraft, bringing Bombardier's total fleet to 122 large-cabin types. At the top of its range, the Global 5000 has seen fleet numbers climb by 18 aircraft to 88 and the XRS by 38 aircraft to 126 of the long-range types.
Bombardier has established itself as a major player at the top of the business jet market. In September it received the thumbs-up from its directors to launch at the NBAA new members of its Global family. The line-up is expected to include a challenger to Gulfstream's ultra-long-range, high-speed G650.