Bombardier takes CSeries to market
Monday February 25, 2008
Bombardier's long-awaited CSeries program moved one step closer to an official launch after the company's board gave the go-ahead to begin actively marketing the aircraft to prospective customers.
"This is the first step for us to work toward a launch we expect in 2008," President and COO Pierre Beaudoin said. The progress comes more than three years after Bombardier announced its intention to develop a new family of single-aisle aircraft in the 110/130-seat range. The program was buffeted by an uncertain economy as a number of prospective US customers wrangled through bankruptcy. The manufacturer also had to find a committed supplier for a new engine, eventually landing an agreement with Pratt & Whitney for its Geared Turbofan.
The first CSeries aircraft could be delivered in 2013. "Timing is everything," said Gary Scott, who heads the CSeries program. "The market itself is in much better shape today than it was three years ago. The stars have aligned much better today than they were in 2005."
The aircraft will offer up to a 20% lower fuel burn and will feature a largely composite and aluminum-lithium alloy structure, Bombardier said. It also is touting an up-to-15% improvement in operating costs and "unmatched reductions in noise and emissions." The 110 will sell for around $40 million while the 130 will be in the upper range of $40 million, Scott said.
This week, three prospective clients--Lufthansa, Qatar Airways and ILFC--publicly expressed interest in and support for the CSeries but fell short of making formal commitments. Last summer, Northwest Airlines VP-Finance and Fleet Planning Dan McDonald told ATWOnline that NWA was evaluating the CSeries as a replacement for its DC-9s.
"ILFC is not only considering buying the aircraft, we could become a co-launch customer," CEO Steven Udvar Hazy revealed. "However, other major airlines need to sign up to the program as well. We would like to see a North American, European and possibly Asian customer."
The size of the aircraft, with its range of 2,700 nm., makes it the ideal replacement for aging, fuel guzzling F100s, MD-80s and DC-9s, Bombardier claimed. The five-abreast seating and large overhead bins make it "passenger friendly" and suitable for transcontinental service in the US, it added.
Chinese aerospace giant AVIC I will manufacture the center fuselage and doors. The site of the final assembly plant is still unresolved, with both the US, with its weak dollar, and Mexico under consideration, Beaudoin said. But taking the work from company facilities in Canada or Belfast could alter the level of government support, he conceded.
Thus far, Bombardier has poured $145 million into the CSeries program and expects to invest another $3.2 billion.
by Sandra Arnoult
ATWOnline
Monday February 25, 2008
Bombardier's long-awaited CSeries program moved one step closer to an official launch after the company's board gave the go-ahead to begin actively marketing the aircraft to prospective customers.
"This is the first step for us to work toward a launch we expect in 2008," President and COO Pierre Beaudoin said. The progress comes more than three years after Bombardier announced its intention to develop a new family of single-aisle aircraft in the 110/130-seat range. The program was buffeted by an uncertain economy as a number of prospective US customers wrangled through bankruptcy. The manufacturer also had to find a committed supplier for a new engine, eventually landing an agreement with Pratt & Whitney for its Geared Turbofan.
The first CSeries aircraft could be delivered in 2013. "Timing is everything," said Gary Scott, who heads the CSeries program. "The market itself is in much better shape today than it was three years ago. The stars have aligned much better today than they were in 2005."
The aircraft will offer up to a 20% lower fuel burn and will feature a largely composite and aluminum-lithium alloy structure, Bombardier said. It also is touting an up-to-15% improvement in operating costs and "unmatched reductions in noise and emissions." The 110 will sell for around $40 million while the 130 will be in the upper range of $40 million, Scott said.
This week, three prospective clients--Lufthansa, Qatar Airways and ILFC--publicly expressed interest in and support for the CSeries but fell short of making formal commitments. Last summer, Northwest Airlines VP-Finance and Fleet Planning Dan McDonald told ATWOnline that NWA was evaluating the CSeries as a replacement for its DC-9s.
"ILFC is not only considering buying the aircraft, we could become a co-launch customer," CEO Steven Udvar Hazy revealed. "However, other major airlines need to sign up to the program as well. We would like to see a North American, European and possibly Asian customer."
The size of the aircraft, with its range of 2,700 nm., makes it the ideal replacement for aging, fuel guzzling F100s, MD-80s and DC-9s, Bombardier claimed. The five-abreast seating and large overhead bins make it "passenger friendly" and suitable for transcontinental service in the US, it added.
Chinese aerospace giant AVIC I will manufacture the center fuselage and doors. The site of the final assembly plant is still unresolved, with both the US, with its weak dollar, and Mexico under consideration, Beaudoin said. But taking the work from company facilities in Canada or Belfast could alter the level of government support, he conceded.
Thus far, Bombardier has poured $145 million into the CSeries program and expects to invest another $3.2 billion.
by Sandra Arnoult
ATWOnline