By Rebecca Rayko
AWN Editor

NEW ORLEANS - Boeing Business Jets president Borge Boeskov began his presentation at NBAA 2000 admitting he had vastly underestimated the world's reaction to the BBJ.

"Our prediction of this market was wrong," Boeskov said.

When Boeing and BBJ partner General Electric launched the joint venture that would become Boeing Business Jets in 1996, Boeskov said he and then-GE chairman Jack Welch believed they would sell 10 aircraft a year.

In four years' time the BBJ program has logged 71 orders. Now Boeskov predicts they will sell 18-20 jets a year "for many years to come," he said.

BBJ disclosed that 14 of the 71 total orders are new. (BBJ announces sales once a year at the NBAA convention.) Ten of the new orders are for the BBJ, and four are for the new BBJ2, which Boeing launched at NBAA '99 (see related story).

Production of the first BBJ2 began in September, with the first green delivery scheduled for early 2001. Eight BBJ2s are in the production schedule for 2001, Boeskov said, and "all are spoken for" but not contracted for.

As of this month, cumulative green BBJ deliveries stand at 46. Of these, 17 are fully completed and in service.

'Big Boeing'

With sales exceeding expectations on every front, Boeskov joked that "Big Boeing" is now "much more excited about business aviation than they were before."

"We have an incredible amount of backing from them now," Boeskov said.

Big Boeing also has a BBJ of its own these days, often flown by chairman Phil Condit.

Boeing's BBJ "has been a heck of a sales tool for us," Boeskov said. The aircraft doubles as a demo model when not in use by Boeing executives. A second Boeing-owned BBJ is currently undergoing completion work.

The brisk orders pace for both BBJ models begged the question of when the BBJ3 would be announced.

"There is nothing to announce on future product development, but we are definitely looking into it," Boeskov said.

The BBJ3 would be based on the Boeing 757-200 and would add another 25% of floor space to the existing models.

"Yes, we're looking at it, but we're taking our time. We're not ready to offer it to the marketplace yet," said Boeskov.