Dassault Aviation has delayed the service entry of its Falcon 10X business jet by up to two years, the French manufacturer confirmed on 22 July 2026. Chief executive Eric Trappier told reporters at the firm’s half-year results briefing that the ultra-long-range twinjet will not reach customers before 2029, a second slip for the flagship program. He blamed tighter certification standards introduced after the two Boeing 737 Max crashes of 2018 and 2019, telling journalists that regulatory scrutiny has grown far more demanding for a clean-sheet design like the 10X, according to a FlightGlobal report.
The announcement came alongside Dassault’s 2026 first-half financial release from its headquarters in Saint-Cloud, France. It affects an aircraft that made its first flight on 19 June 2026 and had most recently been targeted for a late-2027 debut. Trappier said the delay stems from regulation, not from any technical setback on the jet itself, and it lands even as Dassault reports a strong order book for its business jet line, per the company’s official half-year results.
Falcon 10X Entry into Service Pushed to Late 2029
Dassault now expects certification roughly two and a half years after first flight, which places the milestone in the second half of 2029. Trappier said the company would rather stay cautious than promise a date it cannot keep. He added that the process now takes longer than it once did, so Dassault intends to plan around that reality, FlightGlobal flagged.
The Falcon 10X carries a range of 7,500nm (13,900km) and uses twin Rolls-Royce Pearl 10X engines. It is designed to be Dassault’s flagship, succeeding the Falcon 6X once it enters service. Dassault’s own half-year financial report confirms 2029 as the new entry-into-service target and links the change directly to the rescheduling of the certification program.
Why Certification Rules Changed After the Boeing 737 Max Crashes
Trappier told reporters the Falcon 10X is an entirely new aircraft type, so it falls under rules that never applied to the Falcon 6X. He said those rules did not exist when the 6X went through certification in 2023. “Certification has become a more complicated matter,” he said.
Regulators worldwide tightened oversight of new aircraft designs after the 737 Max was grounded worldwide in 2019 following two fatal crashes. Dassault’s comments mark one of the clearest statements yet from a business jet maker linking that shift directly to a schedule change. An earnings call transcript from Investing.com quotes company management describing the same certification path as long and shaped by stricter post-Boeing rules.
A Second Delay: How The Falcon 10X Schedule Has Shifted Since 2021
Dassault launched the Falcon 10X program in 2021 and initially targeted service entry by 2025. That timeline slipped once already, in early 2024, when the company cited supply chain pressure and pandemic-related disruption and moved the target to late 2027.
The 22 July announcement is the second setback and pushes the goal out by roughly two more years. Dassault had confirmed the Falcon 10X’s first flight took place on 19 June 2026, a milestone that followed a public rollout at Bordeaux-Mérignac in March 2026. The jet’s preceding sibling, the Falcon 6X, entered service in December 2023 after its own certification delay.
Falcon 10X Vs Gulfstream G800 And Bombardier Global 8000
The delay leaves Dassault trailing its two closest rivals in the ultra-long-range segment. Gulfstream’s G800 earned FAA and EASA certification in April 2025 and began customer deliveries later that year. Bombardier’s Global 8000 followed with Transport Canada certification in November 2025 and FAA approval in December 2025, then entered service the same month.
Both competing jets now fly and generate revenue while the Falcon 10X remains in flight testing. The three aircraft compete closely on paper:
- Gulfstream G800: 8,200nm range, in service since 2025
- Bombardier Global 8000: 8,000nm range, Mach 0.94 cruise speed, in service since December 2025
- Dassault Falcon 10X: 7,500nm range, first flight completed June 2026, service entry now set for 2029
Scissortail Aviation Advisors notes that all three jets sit within roughly $10 million of each other in price and target the same buyers, even as the G800 and Global 8000 already accumulate flight hours in commercial service. That gap gives Dassault’s rivals a multi-year head start in building maintenance networks and pilot training programs before the 10X arrives.
Dassault’s Order Book Stays Strong Despite the Delay
The delay has not dented demand. Dassault booked orders for 23 Falcon jets in the first half of 2026, a sharp rise compared with the same period last year. The company’s half-year results release shows net sales of €4.2 billion for the period, up 46% year-on-year.
Dassault’s 2026 guidance stays unchanged, targeting roughly €8.5 billion in annual net sales and 40 Falcon deliveries for the year, per the company’s financial release. Research and development spending tied mainly to the Falcon 10X totaled €131 million in the first half, down from €182 million a year earlier.
What Comes Next for the Falcon 10X Program
Dassault will keep flight-testing the Falcon 10X through the certification process, which the company now expects to run into 2029. Trappier described the aircraft as a major step for the Falcon line, calling it a jet that offers far more cabin space and range than its predecessors, according to the Investing.com transcript.
Supply chain pressure remains a separate risk factor. Trappier told the earnings call that some suppliers are running behind schedule, a challenge that has affected Falcon deliveries in past years. Dassault has not linked that pressure directly to the newest Falcon 10X delay, keeping the certification timeline as the stated cause.