Airbus A220 (ex-Bombardier CSeries) news

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Re: Bombardier CSeries news

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An artist's rendering of the hypothetical CS500

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Re: Bombardier CSeries news

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London City Airport awaits the first test arrival of a Bombardier CSeries aircraft with great expectations. The aircraft is seen as the future for the airport with New York, Moscow and the Gulf States as potential non-stop destinations.

Bombardier has announced development aircraft have performed over 80% of the required certification tests with more than 2,250 flight test hours to date.

The manufacturer confirmed that the CSeries aircraft's maximum range is up to 3,300nm (6,112km), some 350nm (648km) more than originally targeted with 20% fuel burn advantage compared to in-production aircraft.

http://news.commercialaircraft.bombardier.com/c-series
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Re: Bombardier CSeries news

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Very surprising news revealed by Reuters:

Bombardier offered majority stake in CSeries jet to Airbus

Bombardier has approached European planemaker Airbus about selling a majority stake in the Canadian company's CSeries jet in order to shore up its depleted balance sheet, people familiar with the matter said.

Under a proposed tie-up, Airbus would help Bombardier complete development of the troubled aircraft in exchange for a controlling stake in the program, effectively ending Bombardier’s independent efforts to break into the 100- to 160-seat airplane market dominated by Airbus and Boeing.

Significant hurdles would need to be cleared before Airbus took up the surprise offer to invest in its smaller competitor.

If a deal is reached, Airbus would fund the final phase of development of the CSeries, an all-new, medium-haul, carbon-composite jet due to enter service next year, according to two sources. The deal would involve a minimal amount of cash up front, they said.

Full story: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/ ... MF20151006
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Re: Bombardier CSeries news

Post by ticketbuyer »

Does anybody know how difficult, or easy, it would be to convert the C-series cockpit to the Airbus common cockpit design?

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Re: Bombardier CSeries news

Post by Flanker2 »

It would be mostly pointless, as the cost of developping and certifying it would be higher than the cost reduction of commonality. Such changes are better incorporated into the next generation.
The Cseries cockpit has already been commonalised with the Comac C919 if I remember correctly.

But talk about big news...
Airbus can make it work as a separate JV/subsidiary like ATR. It does make sense after all to close the gap between the ATR and the A32S, especially considering that the engines are the same already.
Airbus has much a much better marketing department... but does it make sense to market only one aircraft commonly? I think that BBD would be better off spinning off its entire passenger aircraft division to a JV with Airbus and keep only business jets.

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Re: Bombardier CSeries news

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Airbus confirmed that the talks have ended.

Anywho, I think that there are other prospect candidates out there for a joint-venture besides China.
Italy's Alenia is already working on the SSJ program with Russia and succesfully placing aircraft in the Western world. Alenia also has a JV with Airbus in the ATR, so it's not unconceivable that they might be interested.

Also, I think that Japan is a good candidate for this program, mainly through Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation.
In fact, it would give Japan a big foot into the door in the bigger single aisle jet market and they could pool the marketing departments to form a big group to rival Embraer. Money isn't a concern for a huge group like MHI and A and B would also rather have a partner take control of the program than a competitor.

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Re: Bombardier CSeries news

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Flanker2 wrote:Airbus confirmed that the talks have ended.
And so did Bombardier. This is very bad news for the CSeries programme.

“Since Bombardier lacks the resources to make the C Series a commercial success on its own and since we can’t foresee a partner, Teal Group expects the program to be cancelled,” the firm’s Vice President-Analysis Richard Aboulafia said. “The very fact that Bombardier was talking to Airbus implies that they badly needed to talk with someone and that there was no one else. This does not look good at all.”

The company is understood to have contacted other potential investors in recent weeks, among them Boeing and Comac. But, for differing reasons, neither have shown any interest in the programme.

The CSeries is $2 billion over budget and the programme is deeply in debt. A cancellation would cost less than the continuation of the programme. Tough decisions to take!

See more: http://aviationweek.com/commercial-avia ... s-collapse
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Re: Bombardier CSeries news

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It's kind of fishy though that the Cseries program financing would get in trouble this late in the program. Certification is well under way. Perhaps something was discovered during certification that requires a major redesign?

BBD was pricing the Cseries way too high since the very beginning, which explains the lack of orders at this stage. Like Boeing did with the 787, they should have sold initial units below break even if only to secure major orders/customers from the beginning.
The second burden they have is that the CS100 is a dog of an airplane, a bad business plan, dead on arrival.
LX were also very slow to realise this and only recently converted several units to the larger CS300.

I think that Finmeccanica/Alenia, MHI/MAC and maybe BAe are suitable JV partners, if the price and conditions are right. BBD is just too big to fail, and so is this CSeries program.
I doubt that they'll cut their losses at this stage, I think that Aboulafia is just being the usual media whore.

At this point it make more sense to form a JV/group with a major partner indeed. I think that BBD never really intended for Airbus to become partners, but the announcement was meant more as a way to attract the attention of more suitable candidates.
But Airbus may have missed an opportunity here, as the A318 is dead and the A319 is starting to die a slow death. A CS300-CS500 combo may have been an excellent base model offering, while the CS100 would have expanded opportunities in the ACJ market.

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Re: Bombardier CSeries news

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Bombardier in talks with North American airlines on CSeries jet orders

Bombardier said on Friday it is in advanced discussions to sell its new CSeries jet to airlines in North America, without identifying the prospective buyers.

Montreal-based Bombardier has redoubled efforts to win a landmark order for the CSeries after failing to sell the program to rival Airbus, and is pitching the jets hard to airlines in North America.

The sources said Bombardier was pitching Southwest Airlines and American Airlines, as well as similar airlines. One source said Bombardier was also pushing to sell the jets in China.

Air Canada, Canada's biggest airline, is seen by many as an obvious potential customer for the CSeries. The company declined to comment on Friday. American Airlines also declined to comment.

A new order from a major U.S. airline would help restore confidence in the CSeries program, which has not won a new firm order in more than a year.

But Bombardier may need to offer steep discounts to lure mainline carriers from Airbus and Boeing, which have deep relationships with those airlines, and have also cut prices to protect their market share.

More in http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/ ... MK20151009
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Re: Bombardier CSeries news

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An interesting article about the bad decisions made by Bombardier in developing the C Series and the missed opportunities:

http://leehamnews.com/2015/10/12/cserie ... mpetition/

The article tells about the history of the C Series (developed initially to replace dozens of old DC9s at Northwest Airlines). The timing was bad, just after the crisis of 2008. And the BBD salesmen spent too much time trying to sell the CS100 at a bad moment instead of selling the CRJ and Q400 families in order to provide enough cash for the C Series development.
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Re: Bombardier CSeries news

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Bombardier is in talks about a possible CSeries order with JetBlue (US) and Air Canada.
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Re: Bombardier CSeries news

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Small mistake of Bombardier on its website. Two press releases were shortly shown and quickly removed. The first one announced that the test programme of the CS100 was nearly 100% complete. The second disclosed airBaltic as the previously undisclosed launch customer for the CS300.
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Re: Bombardier CSeries news

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According to canadian newspaper La Presse, the government of Québec has decided to inject 1.3 billion canadian dollars in Bombardier in order to save the CSeries program.

It also confirms the Air Baltic deal for the CS300s.

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Re: Bombardier CSeries news

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Today Ilyushin Finance Co. and an undisclosed customer signed a Letter of Intent for the lease of two Bombardier CS300 aircraft.

According to the signed document two CS300 will be delivered to the airline on financial lease terms in the second half of 2016.

Both sides will agree and sign firm lease agreements before December1, 2015.

ILYUSHIN FINANCE Co. is a dedicated aviation lessor since 1999. The current portfolio of the company includes more than 30 aircraft, with the signed contracts for 90 planes including Bombardier CSeries, Sukhoi Superjet SSJ100 and MC-21.

Source: Russian Aviation
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Re: Bombardier CSeries news

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Bombardier is prepared to cut prices on the CSeries as a way to win up to 100 new orders from multiple companies, including options. Possible customers reportedly include JetBlue and Air Canada.
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Re: Bombardier CSeries news

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Three important news items:

1. Bombardier is ramping up the CS100 programme to full production
2. Swiss pilots are at Bombardier to familiarise themselves with the aircraft

https://www.aviation24.be/manufacturers/bo ... -training/

3. Delta Air Lines CEO Anderson says to be very interested in the aircraft
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Re: Bombardier CSeries news

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sn26567 wrote:Bombardier is prepared to cut prices on the CSeries as a way to win up to 100 new orders from multiple companies, including options. Possible customers reportedly include JetBlue and Air Canada.
And 75 of the 100 new orders have been disclosed, Air Canada it was indeed.

Air Canada to purchase up to 75 Bombardier CS300 aircraft
(Canadian Press) -- MONTREAL -- Air Canada has signed a letter of intent to purchase 45 of Bombardier's CS300 aircraft with options for an additional 30 planes.
Based on the list price of the CS300, Bombardier says a firm order would be worth about $3.8 billion.
Once a firm purchase agreement is in place, Bombardier says Air Canada will become the first mainline, international North America-based carrier for the C Series family of aircraft. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2019.
With this agreement, Bombardier says it now has orders and commitments for a total of 678 C Series planes
.

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Re: Bombardier CSeries news

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Further details on the Air Canada deal: https://www.aviation24.be/manufacturers/bo ... r-30-more/

The CS300s will in part replace Embraer E190 aircraft, and in part serve for fleet expansion. Simultaneously Air Canada will buy several Boeing 737 MAX.
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Re: Bombardier CSeries news

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Swiss will come to BRU with a CSeries on March 9th. He should arrive before 09.00 and leave after 12.00.
Its a non revenue flight.

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Re: Bombardier CSeries news

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Magiktrix wrote:Swiss will come to BRU with a CSeries on March 9th. He should arrive before 09.00 and leave after 12.00.
Its a non revenue flight.
Pilot training? Many SWISS pilots have already been sent to Canada for training...
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