Aircraft

Bombardier plans to feature a wider middle seat aboard its CSeries single-aisle aircraft.

The the five-abreast 100 to 125-seat CS100 and larger 120 to 145-seat CS300 aircraft will feature 47-cm (18.5 inch) window and aisle seating, and a 48.25-cm (19-inch) middle seat.

Bombardier commercial aircraft president Gary Scott told journalists at a briefing in New York on 23 October that the wider middle seat is an extension of the optimized solution Bombardier seeks to offer on the CSeries.

"We optimized around five-abreast, but we built an airplane that's basically half a seat larger than the current five-abreast airplanes", says Scott, referring to the DC-9, MD-80 and 717. "We're able to put these bigger seats in and put in a bigger aisle to give added comfort.

"But we're still half a seat more narrow than a six-abreast airplane. Now, we could've made the fuselage more narrow to save weight, but in this case we kept the focus on the customer. The current five-abreast airplanes were built in the 60s, so we're building for the 2020 to 2060 time period," he adds.

Bombardier plans to have the CS100 enter service in 2013.