Less than one month after Italian low-fares carrier MyAir's operations were formally suspended by civil aviation authority ENAC, Bombardier has terminated its firm order purchase agreement with MyAir, saying the carrier "is facing an uncertain situation".

MyAir holds a standing order for 15 Bombardier CRJ1000 NextGen aircraft, after converting a 2006 order for 19 CRJ900s into four CRJ900s and 15 larger-capacity CRJ1000s in 2007.

To date, four CRJ900s have been delivered to Myair.

Bombardier in a statement today says it has terminated its firm order purchase agreement with MyAir "in respect of all remaining undelivered aircraft".

The Canadian airframer assures, however, that the development programme for its 100-seat CRJ1000 continues to move ahead.

As first reported by ATI and Flight Global, the first CRJ1000 production aircraft (serial number 19001) recently successfully completed its first flight at Mirabel.

The aircraft continues to fly from its test base of Wichita, Kansas, says Bombardier.

Moreover, says the manufacturer, the simulator for the CRJ1000 "has been qualified to Interim Level C - a rating that confirms high-fidelity simulation data".

Following Bombardier's termination of the MyAir agreement, the firm order backlog for the CRJ1000 now stands at 49 units.

In announcing its decision to formally suspended MyAir's operations in July, ENAC said the suspension would remain in force until the carrier demonstrates that it is "compliant with European Union requirements".

Source: Air Transport Intelligence news