Dassault's Falcon 2000LX Receives Approval for London City Airport (LCY)

(December 6, 2010, Dubai, United Arab Emirates) – Dassault’s Falcon 2000LX has recently been granted approval for arrivals and departures at the challenging London City Airport (LCY) in England. With this approval, European registered Falcon 2000LXs can connect London City, located in the heart of the city of London, nonstop with all of Europe including Moscow. Dassault is currently developing a program to gain FAA steep approach certification which will also allow American registered aircraft to operate at LCY.

In order to use London City’s short runway (4,327 ft/1,319 m at landing and 3,934 ft/1,199 m at take off), an aircraft must demonstrate exacting performance. To help achieve this, Dassault developed a unique autobrake feature for the Falcon 2000EX and 2000LX that reduces landing distances by as much as 300 feet on steep approaches, which are required for London City. The steep approach procedures require a glide slope of 5.5 degrees as opposed to the standard 3.0 degrees. 

"Flying into London City is not only a challenge for aircraft performance; aircraft are also required to be good neighbors and must abide by strict noise procedures,” said John Rosanvallon, President and CEO of Dassault Falcon. "Meeting these requirements is not an easy task but the convenience of flying into the heart of downtown London is highly valuable for business jet operators.” The Falcon 2000LX noise level was measured in the same category as smaller turboprop aircraft.

The Falcon 2000LX received EASA and FAA certification in April of 2009. The 4,000 nm range 2000LX offers the same spacious, quiet interior as the 2000EX EASy but also the capability to serve more extensive city pairs. It offers a 10 to 15% improvement in climb speed in comparison to the Falcon 2000EX, and allows the aircraft to reach 41,000 ft in just 18 minutes. The Falcon 2000LX comes standard with the award-winning EASy flight deck which has won high marks and praise for its integrated features and intuitive displays.

In 2009, the Falcon 7X was approved to operate at London City Airport for both EASA and FAA registered aircraft. The Falcon 7X offers the longest range of any business jet qualified for London City with nonstop capability to New York. Additionally, the Falcon 900DX/EX, Falcon 50 and Falcon 10 all have London City approval.