The Bombardier CSeries takes a major leap forward today, with the launch of the longer bodied version of the CSeries conducting its maiden flight today from Montreal Mirabel Airport.
CSeries CS300 In-flight. Image, Bombardier.
The CS300 is the larger brother of the CS100 series which have been involved in test flights since September 2013, with a capacity from 130 to 160 passenger depending how dense the plane is configured for an airline.
The test flight took just under five hours, with the plane successfully returning to Mirabel Airport.
The CS300 also represents an attempt to attack the lower end of the narrow-body aircraft market, targeting the Airbus A319 and Boeing 737-700 with the CS300.
Orders have been reasonable for the CS300, with the CS300 outselling the CS100 by a 3:1 factor – with 180 CS300 aircraft with firm orders – indicating a high interest in the larger
Production of the CSeries is currently sold out to the end of 2016, with some spots for 2017 still available.
For the CSeries which is quite delayed, and facing competition from Airbus and Boeing, this is an important step – as well as a sales tool to show that Bombardier has a product that’s nearing ready to fly.
The big question will be if airlines wish to purchase this new aircraft and new type.
Only time will tell if Bombardier has made the right choice with the CSeries project, and if it will help balance the books.
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[…] This week we’re going to take a look at the Bombardier CSeries Aircraft – in particular the CS300 which completed it’s first test flight yesterday. […]