Weak demand for aircraft has prompted Dassault to cut
production of its Falcon business jets for next year. The company currently has
a backlog of 159 aircraft, according to Dassault Chairman/CEO Charles
Edelstenne. The current rate of deliveries will continue until mid-2003, and then
production will be cut to five aircraft per month, down from the current rate
of six or seven. "The U.S. economy is not recovering, Europe is lagging
and we fear a [more serious] global crisis, the worst environment we could think
of," Edelstenne said. "The time is ripe to demonstrate how flexible
Dassault is."
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