Bombardier is expected to fly its new CSeries commercial jet for the first time this week, following a disappointing response to the airplane at the Paris Air Show last week. “This is a white-hot market for selling aircraft and the only odd man out is Bombardier,” Richard Aboulafia, of the Teal Group, told The Canadian Press. Boeing, Airbus and Embraer together secured more than 1,200 orders at the show, while Bombardier announced just a few commercial aircraft orders, valued at about $400 million, though the company’s business jets drew $1.8 billion worth of interest, according to the CP. The CSeries jet, a clean-sheet design in the works since 2008, will offer comfort, fuel efficiency and “unsurpassed economics” for the 100-to-149 seat class, according to Bombardier.
The CSeries will be able to operate in high and hot conditions and also will get in and out of downtown airports with challenging runways, like those in London and Toronto, according to Bombardier. It’s also designed to reduce emissions and noise. The company also recently announced it will offer a 160-seat version. Chet Fuller, senior vice president of Bombardier commercial aircraft, told The Wall Street Journal it’s hard to convince airline executives that a brand-new jet will be trouble-free. “The cynicism and skepticism in the industry is just huge,” Fuller said. First deliveries of the CSeries are expected next year.
