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Montréal, February 22, 2008
Bombardier announced today that its
Board of Directors has granted Bombardier Aerospace the
authority to offer formal sales proposals of the
optimized CSeries aircraft family to airline
customers. The aircraft will incorporate the latest
technology available to produce the economic,
performance, environmental and passenger-oriented
improvements demanded by airline customers for the next
quarter century. Entry into service is scheduled for
2013.
Authority to offer is the next important step in the
process that leads to program launch. Before requesting
program launch approval from the Bombardier Board of
Directors, Bombardier Aerospace will obtain firm
commitments from customers. A launch decision is
expected in 2008.
"The
CSeries aircraft will benefit from the latest
technological advancements, including: increased use of
composites and aluminum lithium in structures; a next-generation
engine - the Pratt & Whitney Geared TurbofanTM;
and the very latest in system technologies, such as fly-by-wire,
and fourth-generation aerodynamics. Together, these
advancements will produce up to 20 per cent better fuel
burn and up to 15 per cent improved cash operating costs
versus current in-production aircraft of similar size,"
said Pierre Beaudoin, President and Chief Operating
Officer, Bombardier Aerospace.
"Our decision to continue refining our business plan
over the last two years has proven to be the right one.
It has allowed us to take advantage of new technologies
and to meet the airlines' evolving requirements for
future efficient five-abreast aircraft. Airlines
worldwide have expressed their keen interest to receive
formal sales proposals from us," he added.
"We are delighted that Bombardier's Board of Directors
has given authorization to offer the CSeries
aircraft, and we are excited to partner with Bombardier
in discussions with airlines and operators around the
world," said Todd Kallman, President, Pratt & Whitney
Commercial Engines. "The game-changing performance of
the Pratt & Whitney Geared TurbofanTM engine,
combined with the new generation design of the
CSeries aircraft, will bring double-digit
improvements in fuel efficiency, environmental emissions,
noise and operating costs to CSeries customers."
"Lufthansa's focus is on a sustainable fleet development
providing flexibility for the future. This includes,
amongst others, the assessment of technology,
reliability, environmental footprint, economics and
passenger comfort. We are considering the CSeries family
of aircraft in our broader evaluation of opportunities
for the lower end of the single-aisle fleet because its
proposed advantages could be attractive to us," said Nico Buchholz, Senior Vice-President, Corporate Fleet,
Lufthansa.
"The CSeries aircraft's 2013 entry into service
date suits us very well. We envisage an order for 20
aircraft," said Akbar Al Baker, Chief Executive Officer,
Qatar Airways.
"We are very interested in the aircraft and have been
looking at the CSeries program very carefully,"
said Steven F. Udvar-Hazy, Chairman and CEO/Founder of
the giant lessor company International Lease Finance
Corporation. "ILFC is not only considering buying the
aircraft, we could become a co-launch customer. 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," he added.
The Bombardier CSeries aircraft family is
specifically designed for the lower end of the 100- to
149-seat market segment, estimated at 5,900 aircraft -
or $250 billion US - over the next 20 years.
Bombardier's target is to capture half this market |
