Work begins on first Boeing Business Jet 3

Boeing has begun work on the first Boeing Business Jet 3 (BBJ 3). The BBJ 3 is a new, larger business jet based on the Boeing Next-Generation 737-900ER, which entered commercial service and was certified by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration in April 2007. Certification by the European Aviation Safety Agency occurred in April 2008. The BBJ 3 was launched in October 2006, and will enter service in 2009 with an unidentified customer. The jet is 138 feet, 2 inches long (42.1 meters) and has 1,120 square feet (104 square meters) of floor space. The same CFM56-7 engines used on Next-Generation 737 commercial airplanes power the BBJ.