Hawker Beechcraft is planning to deliver the first Hawker 4000 business jet during the second quarter, seven years later than originally planned.

The super mid-size aircraft has completed 150h of continuous function and reliability testing "over a course of 15 days", says company president commercial sales, Brad Hatt, who adds that the company is working with the US Federal Aviation Administration "on the necessary paperwork".

He says aircraft serial number 7 has its interior installed and will handed over to the a private customer in May or June.

Hatt is tightlipped on the expected delivery tally this year for the $ 21 million aircraft, but says "aircraft with serial numbers in the mid-20s are already on the production line". Deliveries of the eight-seat Hawker 4000 were put on hold following type certification in November 2006 while the airframer worked on a number of post-certification modifications, including boosting the maximum takeoff weight by 910kg (2,000lb) to accommodate a similar increase in empty weight, an 7,000ft (2,140m) increase in maximum operating altitude to 45,000ft and approval for flight into known icing.