Bombardier wins C Series orders

With a total of 133 firm commitments Bombardier is now well on the way with its 110 to 145-passenger C Series aircraft.  It sits in a niche of its own, smaller than the best selling of the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 products (and clearly more economical than the A318 and Boeing 737-600).  First flight is now predicted as late 2012 with deliveries from one year later.

During the Paris Air Show, Bombardier announced a number of orders without being specific about the customers.  What is clear is that a European airline had committed itself to ten aircraft, a first time Bombardier order for the anonymous carrier.  Air France and British Airways meet this criteria and the announcement knocks out Alitalia and SAS.

Assuming Korean Air firms up on a 30-aircraft Letter of Intent, the order book prior to the maiden flight looks like a healthy 150 plus from eight airlines, with more orders in the pipeline.  Both Gulf Air and Qatar Airways are said to be taking a very close look at the aircraft.  The Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbofan (PW1000G) is the exclusive power plant for the C Series. www.bombardier.com

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