Everything you need to know about the Falcon 6X jet

The purpose-built business jet offers the longest range in its class, unparalleled passenger comfort, and advanced cockpit technologies

For the jet-setting executive, comfort and convenience reign supreme. And for the well-heeled traveller, nothing less than a luxurious private jet will do.

But contrary to popular belief, chartering a private jet isn’t just about decadence—it’s the ability to travel on your own schedule on the most efficient route, while greatly reducing the stress and exhaustion that often comes with flying. Here’s where Dassault Aviation’s Falcon 6X business jet comes in.

In case you missed it: Travel trend alert: Go big or go home

Entering into service in Q4 of 2023, the Falcon 6X has rapidly become a notable player in the aviation industry—a market that has seen tremendous growth over the last few years.

Above The Falcon 6X entered into service last year, and has quickly become a notable player in the aviation industry

“There is big potential in the Southeast Asian region, we see a growth in business aviation because there is important growth in terms of GDP in the area,” shares Carlos Brana, executive vice president of civil aircraft at Dassault Aviation. “Intuitively, we can understand [this growth] is due to the need for travel and increased frequency of travel. That’s why business jets are very important, and we have been selling very well, in these markets,” he continues.

In light of this upward trend, the Falcon 6X made its first Asian appearance at the Singapore Air Show 2024 last month. Tatler Singapore was invited to tour the private aircraft at the exhibition, where we also sat down with Brana to learn more about the private jet industry, and what sets the Falcon 6X apart.

Above Carlos Brana, executive vice president of civil aircraft at Dassault Aviation

Why are large-cabin and long-range business aircraft becoming increasingly popular?
Two big reasons why. Firstly, if you are in this area [Asia] for example, and you want to expand to other markets like Europe and the US, you need a long-range airplane. And a long-range plane requires more fuel, which in turn needs a bigger plane to accommodate.

The second reason is, on Dassault Aviation’s side, we have put a lot of thought into consulting our customers. We have to remember that the business jet is a tool for business, which means you need to continue being productive while on the plane. These jets have Internet connection, seats and desks for working, and are designed to lower the fatigue of flying compared to commercial planes. Comfort is paramount so that is the reason we now see longer-range aircraft with bigger cabins.

Above The jet boasts the largest cross-section cabin of any purpose-built jet

What do we need to know about the new Falcon 6X?
The Falcon 6X offers the most interior space out of all jets in its category, featuring the largest cross-section cabin of any purpose-built business jet. It has a cabin height of 1.98 metres and a width of 2.58 metres. That means more room to work and relax, with space to work and sleep on long flights. In certain countries, people tend to fly with more passengers so of course you need to have roomy cabins like the 6X does, it can accommodate up to 16 passengers.

Above It has a cabin height of 1.98 metres and a width of 2.58 metres

Secondly, we have introduced a new generation of the Digital Flight Control System (DFCS) for this aircraft. The system transmits signals generated by the pilot’s sidestick to flight control computers, which then interpret the best combination of control inputs and send the signals on to actuators that move the control surfaces.

So simply put, the DFCS reads the pilot’s movement of the controls and inputs it into a computer, before carrying out the movement. This allows for more precise handling of the plane, reduces pilot workload, and ensures a safer and smoother flight.

Above Pilot controls in the cockpit

Another aspect is the ‘FalconEye’ which is a combined vision system made up of different cameras, presented in a single head of display. The system projects a view which comes from a camera equipped with six sensors that combine normal, infrared and synthetic images. This ensures situational awareness even in challenging weather conditions, it will show symbols indicating for example, where the runway is exactly. So this is a very interesting point of technology which allows you to divert if there is bad weather and also allows pilots to better understand where they are at any given point.

Above Dassault planes are designed to maximise fuel usage

What is Dassault Aviation doing in terms of sustainability, for example, the “green engine” on the 6X?
We are always talking about sustainability, it’s a challenge for us, one that we are working on extremely diligently. The goal is to be net zero by 2050. We’re a company of engineers, and what we like to do is optimisation. Now I bring up optimisation because Dassault Aviation engines are made to optimise the thrust on its jets. The aerodynamic quality is very refined, and we use light materials to construct our jets—this also saves fuel. Lower fuel burn means lower greenhouse gas emissions, and it also means that over the lifetime of the aircraft, you’re getting enormous fuel savings. So that in a nutshell, is why our planes are lower consumption compared to our competitors.