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Dassault Falcon Jet Unveils New $60M Facility in Little Rock

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Dassault Falcon Jet Corp. on Thursday unveiled a $60 million, 250,000-SF expansion at its Little Rock completion facility, bringing the company’s total Little Rock footprint to 1.25 million SF.

The event took place in a new hangar dedicated to two Dassault models, the Falcon 5X twin jet, introduced in October 2013, and the ultra-long range Falcon 8X tri-jet, on the market since May 2014.

Dassault Falcon Jet employs about 2,000 workers at the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock.

Construction began in 2014. The expansion included refurbishment of its cabinet, upholstery and headliner shops and upgrades to older hangars.

President CEO of Dassault Falcon Jet, John Rosanvallon, said that Dassault’s presence in Little Rock is part of “a truly global presence” and called the opening of the new facility “a truly special moment.”

Eric Trappier, CEO of Dassault Aviation, noted the strong relationship the company has with Arkansas.

“At every moment of every day there is a piece of Little Rock flying somewhere in the world because of outstanding work here,” Trappier said. “Dassault is a vital part of the fabric of this great state.”

In June, Gov. Asa Hutchinson visited Paris for the Paris Air Show where Dassault, a French company, was present.

“At the Arkansas Economic Development Commission we work every day to market our state globally,” said Danny Games, deputy director of the AEDC. “The jobs here are good paying jobs that require skill and work ethic.”

Stacy Hurst, a member of the Little Rock Municipal Airport Commission, said that Dassault Falcon Jet is widely viewed as the most advanced aerospace company in the world.

“Many communities competed for this facility,” Hurst said. “Today we celebrate a company that has had tremendous impact on Little Rock over the last four decades.”

The new expansion follows a $20 million, 116,000-SF upgrade in 2008 that added four new state-of-the-art paint bays, along with new production, design and warehouse space, to accommodate the long-range Falcon 7X.

The history of the Little Rock facility dates to 1975 when Falcon Jet Corp. – then a Dassault Aviation/Pan American Airways joint venture – purchased Little Rock Airmotive, a 61,500-SF hangar and office facility, and integrated it into its global production line.

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