Welcome to Flightinfo.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Friendliest aviation Ccmmunity on the web
  • Modern site for PC's, Phones, Tablets - no 3rd party apps required
  • Ask questions, help others, promote aviation
  • Share the passion for aviation
  • Invite everyone to Flightinfo.com and let's have fun

Bigger CRJ?

Welcome to Flightinfo.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Modern secure site, no 3rd party apps required
  • Invite your friends
  • Share the passion of aviation
  • Friendliest aviation community on the web

norskman2

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 18, 2002
Posts
571
Interesting article in today's New York Times...(what the heck is "Air Trans?" If the reporter meant AirTran, well they're hardly a "regional.")

Bombardier Considering a New Line of Jets

[size=-1]By BERNARD SIMON[/size]
spacer.gif

Published: June 2, 2004



m.gif
ONTREAL, June 1 - Bombardier, the aircraft and rail car maker, expects to decide by early next year whether to add a family of passenger jets to directly compete with the Boeing Company and the European Airbus consortium, Paul M. Tellier, the company's chief executive, said on Tuesday.

The proposed series would be made up of three models with a capacity of 100 to 130 passengers. The fleet would be larger than Bombardier's CRJ series of commuter jets, which have helped it transform over the last decade into the world's third-biggest aircraft maker, after Airbus and Boeing.
Bombardier makes three versions of the CRJ, seating 50 to 86 passengers. The CRJ was developed as a stretched version of Bombardier's Challenger business jet, but the company has said that a plane of the size it is considering needs to be designed from scratch.

Bombardier also makes the Learjet and Global Express corporate jets.

Mr. Tellier told shareholders at Bombardier's annual meeting in Montreal, where the company is based, that a decision would require "a well-defined market, a solid profit potential and major comparative advantages in terms of operational efficiency."

Suzanne Betts, an analyst at Argus Research in New York, said that the most likely buyers of the new Bombardier aircraft would be regional airlines in the United States, like SkyWest and Air Trans, which are in far better financial health than the mainline carriers.

"There is definitely growth in that smaller, point-to-point market," Ms. Betts said. A Bombardier spokesman said that the company was also focusing on airlines seeking to replace older, bigger jets, like the MD-80, which was produced by McDonnell Douglas before it was acquired by Boeing, but is no longer in production.

Still, Glenn Engel, an analyst at Goldman, Sachs in New York, said that many big airlines, which have been Boeing and Airbus customers, may be reluctant to deal with a third manufacturer.

Mr. Tellier said that Bombardier expected to spend $18 million on the feasibility study this year. About a third of the cost of developing the aircraft would be borne by Bombardier, he said, with the rest coming from suppliers and other partners.

Bombardier's chief rival in the regional jet market, Embraer of Brazil, is scheduled to begin delivery next year of a series of aircraft similar in size to that proposed by Bombardier. JetBlue Airways, whose fleet currently comprises 156-seat Airbus A-320s, has ordered up to 200 of the new Embraer series 190 planes, with 100 seats each.

Demand for Bombardier's smallest regional jet, the 50-seat CRJ-200, has fallen off. The company said last week that it would trim production by about 20 planes over the rest of this year. Mr. Tellier said Tuesday that this cutback implied a bigger reduction for 2005 as a whole.

Bombardier surprised analysts last week by reporting a first-quarter loss of $174 million, which it ascribed chiefly to technical problems and production delays in its rail car divisions. It delivered 47 regional aircraft in the three months to April 30, and has orders for another 300 planes.
 
Great news for the regionals!!! I think I'd fly one for $14.99 first year, but would expect over $20/hr after that.

whats next
 
taxicabdriver said:
Great news for the regionals!!! I think I'd fly one for $14.99 first year, but would expect over $20/hr after that. whats next
Let me give you a clue: The term "commuter jet" is an oxymoron. If the airline flys jets, it's not a "regional airline" unless the "region" is defined as North America.

There is no such thing as "major airline flying" or "regional airline flying" anymore, there it is only "airline flying." And when Southwest orders the 7E7, the face of international flying will change forever as well. The Air Line Pilots Association and the 5 airlines that run it still don't seem to understand the sea change that has transpired in the industry since the demise of airline regulation 25 years ago and the deployment of the CL-65 at Comair 10 years ago. The union has no vision and is woefully inept. As a consequence, all union members suffer. At a time when the union should be circling the wagons to meet the current challenges of the marketplace and management, there is no union.
 

Latest resources

Back
Top