The boom in business jet sales shows no signs of abating and the expected influx of very light jets has barely begun. The General Aviation Manufacturers Association third quarter figures last week and there was a staggering 20 percent increase in the number of bizjets sold in the first nine months of the year compared to the same period of 2006. In all, 759 jets were sold between January and September, up from 628 in the same time period the previous year, a year that was celebrated as one of the best ever. Cessna sold 100 jets in the quarter and its XLS was the most popular with 23 going out the door. A total of 15 Mustangs were delivered and those deliveries are expected to ramp up in coming quarters. Bombardier sold 50 business jets and the Lear 45 was the most popular at 15. Hawker Beechcraft sold 35 jets and the 400XP accounted for a third of the total at 12. Eclipse hasnt hit its target of an airplane a day off the line but did manage about half that many with 27 deliveries of the 500 in the three months from July to September.
