First operator airBaltic ramps up for Bombardier CS300 aircraft entry-into-service

• First set of airBaltic pilots complete C Series aircraft initial type rating course
• CS300 completes route-proving exercises on airBaltic’s service network

Bombardier Commercial Aircraft announced today that excellent progress is being made in preparation for the CS300 aircraft’s entry-into-service (EIS) with launch operator Air Baltic Corporation AS (“airBaltic”) later this year. In addition to the receipt of the CS300 aircraft Type Validation awarded by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) last week, the  first set of six pilots from airBaltic have completed their C Series aircraft pilot initial type rating course, and route-proving exercises with the CS300 aircraft in Europe have been successfully conducted.

During the route-proving exercises, airBaltic’s crew successfully simulated ground operations as part of the training program in preparation for EIS. Operating from the airline’s base in Riga, Latvia, the route-proving flights were conducted with the second CS300 flight test vehicle (FTV) using typical airline flight routings and operational procedures. Destinations included Helsinki, Finland; Vilnius, Lithuania; Tallinn, Estonia; Stockholm, Sweden; Amsterdam, The Netherlands and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

“Completion of the initial pilot training at the Bombardier Flight Training Centre in St-Laurent, Québec is very exciting as we get closer to entry-into-service readiness,” said Pauls Calitis, Senior Vice President, Flight Operations, airBaltic. “The aircraft is very intuitive, control responsiveness is impressive and the integrated avionics systems make it a pleasure to fly.”

“We are pleased with the successful completion of the route-proving program which provided a great opportunity for our ground crew to gain valuable hands-on experience in preparation for entry-into-service,” said Martin Gauss, Chief Executive Officer, airBaltic. “It was exciting to see the test aircraft flying from our home-base in Riga and we are looking forward to welcoming the first green-tailed airBaltic CS300 aircraft later this year.”

“With the conclusion of the route-proving program in Europe, the training of the first batch of airBaltic pilots and the receipt of EASA’s Type Validation for the CS300 aircraft last week, we are well on our way to a successful entry-into-service with our CS300 launch customer,” said Rob Dewar, Vice President, C Series Aircraft Program, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “As airBaltic prepares to operate the CS300 aircraft all over Europe, it was thrilling to see the airliner’s performance capabilities confirmed recently on some of the airline’s current routes, as well at new potential destinations such as Abu Dhabi.”