Bombardier CS100 Aircraft Flight Test Program Close To Complete

With the airBaltic order, Bombardier has 603 orders and commitments for the CS300 and CS100.

The company added that Latvia-based Air Baltic would be the launch operator of its CS300 aircraft when it takes delivery in the second half of 2016.

The Latvian national airline has 13 firm orders for the CS300, one of the controversial CSeries commercial jets, and retains options for seven others, Bombardier said in a news release.

Fred Cromer, president of Bombardier Commercial Aircraft told reporters the programme was doing well, and was seeing demand from customers in the Gulf region.

“The unrivaled cabin living space offered by the CS300 aircraft will allow airBaltic to optimize its extra capacity seating offerings without comprising passenger comfort, together with world-class flying experience”. Certification of the new CS100, whose FTK-5 test model flew to Dubai last week, is due by the end of the year.

Bombardier also announced that CS100 function and reliability (F&R) test aircraft began with a four-leg flight yesterday.

“With our flight test program nearly 100 per cent complete and all the high-risk CS100 aircraft’s flight tests behind us, teams are now finalizing the last few certification activities”, said Rob Dewar, Vice President, C Series Aircraft Program, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. The trip started and ended in Mirabel, Que., and included stops in Moncton, N.B.; Halifax, N.S. and St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. Meant to simulate typical flight routings and operational procedures, the F&R flights will take the CS100 to a few 15 city pairs in Canada and 20 in the USA, then to Europe for more testing.

He acknowledged Bombardier still had hard work ahead as a new entrant, and said it continued to press for a “marquis” customer or larger airline to help boost orders and confidence in the long-delayed programme, which is billions of dollars over budget. “Congratulations to all involved”.