Bombardier C Series – Clear Skies Ahead?
I often write about aircraft fleets that have earned long and distinguished histories. This issue I would like to look at a fleet that could be at the beginning of such a story.
It seems that Boeing has decided not to appeal a decision by the U.S. Trade Commission that allows Bombardier to sell its C Series aircraft in the U.S.A. without duties. Delta has the largest order of 75 CS100’s which has been the source of the controversy.
This opens the possibility that Canada is on the verge of one of its greatest aviation success stories. Wikipedia currently lists a combined total of 372 CS100 and CS300 aircraft on order with 26 already delivered to Swiss Global Airlines, airBaltic and Korean Air and operating to very favourable reviews.
Air Canada has 45 CS300’s on order (deliveries scheduled to begin in 2019) with the plan for them to replace the Embraer 190 fleet which has not performed to expectations. The company speculates that the aircraft may provide opportunities to open new direct markets (for example: Vancouver to Boston) throughout North America. Airlines in Europe and Asia may seem to agree.
AirBaltic has posted a YouTube video of the delivery of its sixth CS300 off a seven hour and twenty-five-minute flight from Mirabel to Riga and then setting a world record by entering commercial service on a flight to Zurich only one hour later. I wonder if our own Ken Pickford (who has some impressive knowledge of aviation history) was aboard.
References:
List of Bombardier C Series orders at Wikipedia
Boeing decides not to appeal from The Globe and Mail
Air Canada orders CS300 from FlightGlobal
