C Series Launch by SWISS Opens a New Chapter for Bombardier

The inaugural commercial flight of the long-awaited Bombardier C Series aircraft might just mean that the Quebec-based aircraft manufacturer is now playing on the big boys’ turf.

By most any measure, Canada-based aircraft manufacturer Bombardier had a successful week at the Farnborough International Airshow. According to the company, much of that success can be attributed to tangible advances made in its ambitious C Series program.

Following Farnborough, Bombardier was able to confirm a total of 370 firm orders for the new single-aisle jets capable of seating up to 150 passengers. The company also used the airshow to announce that regulators in Canada have certified the CS300 version of the C Series commercial jet, and the Quebec company congratulated Swiss International Airlines on its inaugural commercial flight of a CS100 aircraft. The brand new CS100 plane completed the first revenue-generating flight from Zürich Airport (ZRH) to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG).

“We salute SWISS on the CS100 aircraft’s successful entry-into-service and thank the airline for its outstanding support to the C Series aircraft program,” Bombardier President Fred Cromer said of the inaugural flight. “We also congratulate all the employees and suppliers who have worked tirelessly to bring us to this great milestone. It is an outstanding achievement and continues to build the momentum for the C Series aircraft program.”

The SWISS flight coupled with a growing list of firm orders for the C Series jets indicates that Bombardier has made a successful foray into a segment of the commercial aircraft market long dominated by Airbus and Boeing. While the much smaller Bombardier doesn’t pose much of a threat to U.S.-based Boeing or Europe-based Airbus at this point, company officials believe that they have seized a neglected niche and that the company will soon make a name for itself beyond Bombardier’s reputation as a respected manufacturer of smaller regional jets and turboprop planes.

“During the show, we connected with senior airline and aviation industry executives from around the world and are very encouraged by the feedback we are getting on our new C Series aircraft product positioning that urges airlines to put aside decades-old aircraft design in favor of an all-new, technically-advanced aircraft aimed specifically at the single-aisle, 100- to 150-seat market,” Cromer said of the success of the C Series so far. “We’re giving airlines the freedom to match demand with a right-sized aircraft that provides the opportunity to make more profit.”

[Photo: SWISS]