Bombardier Commercial Aircraft have announced the United Republic of Tanzania represented by the Tanzanian Government Flight Agency (TGFA) has signed firm purchase agreements for two CS300 jetliners and one Q400 turboprop aircraft. The aircraft will be leased to and operated by Air Tanzania (The Wings of the Kilimanjaro) based in Dar es Salaam.
Like the two Q400 turboprop aircraft delivered to the TGFA for lease and operation by Air Tanzania in September 2016, the third announced this time will have an all-economy, 76-seat interior with two lavatories. The two CS300 airliners will be configured in a dual-class layout, and will be equipped with WiFi internet and in-flight entertainment.
Bombardier Commercial Aircraft has announced the delivery of the first CS300 aircraft to launch operator Air Baltic Corporation AS (airBaltic), the flag carrier of Latvia. The CS300 is the larger variant of Bombardierโs all new C Series aircraft, which is designed to carry between 130 and 150 passengers. The handover to airBaltic comes just five months after the successful entry into service of the CS100 variant of the C Series.
The maiden commercial flight of airBalticโs first 145-seat CS300 aircraft, which will take passengers from Riga to Amsterdam, is scheduled for December 14, 2016.
airBaltic is the launch operator for the CS300 aircraft, and has ordered 20 CS300 aircraft. The new type will replace the existing fleet of Boeing 737-300s and 737-500s.
Bombardier (Montreal) announced today that launch operator Swiss International Air Lines (Zurich) has converted 10 of its 30 firm-ordered CS100 aircraft to the larger CS300 aircraft. The original purchase agreement for 30 CS100 aircraft was signed by Deutsche Lufthansa AG on Swissโ behalf and announced in 2009.
Bombardier has booked orders and commitments for 603 C Series aircraft, which include firm orders for 243.
Bombardier (Montreal and Toronto) issued this statement on the first flight of the CS300 yesterday (February 27):
Another major milestone in Bombardierโs CSeries aircraft program was reached on February 27 with the maiden flight of the CS300 airliner. The technologically advanced CSeries aircraft will provide operators with an all-new family of single-aisle mainline jets specifically designed for the 100- to 149-seat market segment.
The CS300 airliner โ bearing Canadian registration markings C-FFDK โ departed MontrรฉalโMirabel International Airport at 11:00 EST and returned at 15:58 EST. It reached an altitude of 41,000 feet (12,500 metres) and a speed of 255 knots (470 km/h).
At Bombardierโs Mirabel, Quรฉbec facility, some 2,000 Bombardier employees, Board members, partners, suppliers and customers braved frigid temperatures to witness the flight.
Capt. Andris (Andy) Litavniks, who was the co-pilot on the historic maiden flight of the smaller CS100 model on September 16, 2013, was pilot-in-command on todayโs milestone flight. Capt. Litavniks was assisted by co-pilot Christophe Marchand and flight test engineers Anthony Dunne and Mark Metivet.
โIt was an absolute privilege to fly the first flight of the CS300 airliner and Iโm absolutely ecstatic with how well it handled. Itโs a pilotโs aircraft and handled exactly as predicted by simulation,โ said Capt. Litavniks. โPilots will find it easy to transition from the CS100 to the CS300 aircraft or vice versa, which will greatly reduce training costs for operators using both models.โ
โOur CSeries aircraft program is progressing well, with results from testing as expected or better. The CS300 airliner will now join the five CS100 aircraft flight test vehicles that have amassed more than 1,000 flight test hours to date,โ said Rob Dewar, Vice President, CSeries Program. โWe are confident the CS100 aircraft will be certified in the second half of 2015, followed closely by entry-into-service. The CS300 airliner is expected to follow about six months later.โ
โIt was a thrill to see the first CS300 aircraft take to the skies for the first time and I heartily congratulate our teams for this achievement,โ said Mike Arcamone, President, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. โWe continue to see increased interest from all over the world and as our performance targets are validated, we expect the enthusiasm for the CSeries family of aircraft to grow even more.โ
The CS300 aircraft offers the best seat-mile cost in its category, making it the most profitable solution for mid-sized markets with up to 150 passengers per flight, and ideal for a range of routes from short-haul to longer transcontinental markets.
Top Photo: Bombardier. C-FFDK in flight.
Below Copyright Photo: Gilbert Hechema/AirlinersGallery.com.ย Bombardier C Series CS300 (BD-500-1A11) C-FFDK (msn 55001) arrives back at Montreal (Mirabel) after the first flight.
Bombardier Commercial Aircraft (Montreal) confirmed, pending optimal weather conditions, the CS300 aircraftโs first flight is expected to occur on February 26, 2015. The first flight follows last weekโs receipt of the Transport Canada flight permit that allowed the first CS300 flight test vehicle to join the flight test program and the successful high speed taxi runs conducted earlier this week.
Update: Bombardier later issued this statement:ย Due to weather conditions in Mirabel, Quรฉbec, the first flight of the CS300 flight test vehicle will not take place on February 26, 2015.
Bombardier Commercial Aircraft (Montreal) announced today a wholly owned affiliate of Macquarie AirFinance has signed a firm purchase agreement for 40 CS300 jetliners and has taken options on an additional 10 CS300 aircraft.
Macquarie AirFinance, which currently owns or manages 136 jet aircraft leased to 73 operators in 43 countries across six continents, will lease the CS300 aircraft to airline operators around the world. Delivery of the aircraft will be on a phased basis from 2017 to 2019.
Meanwhile on September 7 Bombardier Commercial Aircraft confirmed that the CSeries aircraft resumed flight testing with flight test vehicle two (FTV2) taking flight on September 7 at Bombardierโs facility in Mirabel, Quรฉbec.
The flight follows an in-depth review and analysis of the engine-related incident that occurred during stationary ground maintenance testing involving CSeries aircraft FTV1 on May 29 at the Mirabel facility. Pratt and Whitney alongside Bombardier, has taken appropriate measures to address the issue, including the modification of the engineโs oil lubrication system.
The CSeries aircraftโs entry-into-service remains on track for the second half of 2015.
Bombardier Aerospace announced today that Petra Airlines Ltd. (Amman, Jordan) has signed a Letter Of Intent (LOI) to acquire up to four CS100 and CS300 airliners. Should the LOI be converted to a firm purchase agreement, the transaction would include two firm-ordered CS100 aircraft and two options for CS300 aircraft.
Based on list prices, a firm order for two CS100 aircraft would be valued at approximately $136.5 million US, increasing to $298.4 million if the two options for CS300 aircraft are converted to firm orders.
Petra Airlines, based at Ammanโs Queen Alia International Airport, began as a charter carrier and became a scheduled airline in 2012. It serves destinations in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.
Bombardier Aerospace announced today that Air Baltic Corporation AS (airBaltic) (Riga) is the previously announced undisclosed customer that had converted three option aircraft to firm on the original order contract in February 2014. The original order for 10 firm airliners with options for 10 more was finalized on December 20, 2012.
Based on the list price of the CS300 airliner, the three firm aircraft order is valued at approximately $228 million US.
Airbaltic now has 13 Bombardier CS300s on order.
Established in 1995, airBaltic is the main carrier in the Baltic region and operates direct flights out of Riga, Latvia and serves 60 destinations spanning Europe, Scandinavia, Russia, Commonwealth of Independent States and the Middle East with a fleet of 25 aircraft.
Bombardier Aerospace (Montreal) announced today that Falcon Aviation Services LLC (Abu Dhabi) has signed a firm purchase agreement for two CS300 jetliners. The transaction is a conversion of the Letter of Intent (LOI) to acquire one CS300 aircraft and one option that was announced on February 26, 2014. When the LOI was announced, Falcon Aviation Services became the first customer for CSeries aircraft in the United Arab Emirates.
Based on the list price of the CS300 aircraft, the contract is valued at approximately $153.6 million US.
Falcon Aviation Services is based at Al Bateen Executive Airport and operates a fleet of corporate jets conducting VIP charter flights, as well as a fleet of helicopters serving the offshore oil and gas industry. The company also conducts search and rescue, aircraft management, maintenance, repair and overhaul, as well as consulting operations. The company recently ordered two Bombardier Q400 NextGen turboprop aircraft for its fleet.
As of today, Bombardier has booked orders and commitments for 471 CSeries aircraft, which include firm orders for 203 CSeries airliners.
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