airBaltic sign on for up to 60 Bombardier C Series Aircraft

In a major win for the Bombardier C Series project, airBaltic of Lativa has made  a major order of the type.

airBaltic Bombardier C Series CS300 – Image, Bombardier

The order is made up of 30 firm orders of the CS300, with 15 options and 15 purchase rights for additional aircraft of the same time. For those who look at list prices, the order is worth US $2.9 billion for the firm order, at US 5.9 Billion if the full order, options and purchase rights.

airBaltic currently operate 8 CS300 aircraft in its fleet currently. The new order will make airBaltic the largest operator of the Bombardier C Series in Europe. The airline will use them for route  expansion in its bases from  Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania. It also means the harmonisation of the fleet, as it standardises on C Series.

Fred Cromer, President, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft is happy, and on the announcement of the order states:

“As the C Series aircraft program continues to gain market acceptance, this significant reorder from our CS300 launch operator is a strong testimony to the aircraft’s exceptional in-service performance,” 

“Furthermore, we are proud that the CS300 has helped airBaltic maintain its position as one of the world’s most punctual airlines. The C Series aircraft is at the forefront of the small single-aisle market, and airBaltic played a key role in demonstrating its value. In the last 18 months, we have witnessed airBaltic’s growing leadership in the market, and we wish the airline further success with its expanded CS300 fleet.”

On the order Martin Gauss, Chief Executive Officer, airBaltic commented

“As an early adopter of the C Series, we took a forward-looking decision on advanced technology to support our turnaround plan leading to sustainable profitability, and today we are benefiting from the most fuel-efficient small single-aisle aircraft. With demonstrated fuel savings of more than 22 percent, the CS300 aircraft plays a vital role in maintaining our operating cost at a low level. In 2017, we experienced outstanding growth and showed the world the unique capabilities and comfort of this innovative aircraft. We successfully executed our fleet modernization strategy, and are excited to further grow our fleet up to 80 CS300 aircraft while phasing out our other aircraft types in the next three years,” said .

“We are now commencing the implementation of our next business strategy – Destination 2025, which foresees airBaltic expanding the map of its operations. A critical part of this new strategy is the introduction of a larger and exclusive fleet of all-CS300 aircraft, which are the most suitable aircraft for the markets in which we operate,”

Deliveries will commence in Q4 2019.

For airBaltic, it’s a major shift-change. Currently the fleet operates a mixture of Boeing 737-300s, 737-500s, Bombardier C Series CS300 and Bombardier Q400 turboprop aircraft. By standardising on the C Series, with a total of 31 aircraft in its fleet.

Expansion is the name of the game with airBaltic, and lowering its costs to one fleet should provide savings.

The challenge for the airline will be to fill all those seats.

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