Would-be Regional jet manufacturer Alliance Aerospace missed its planned debut at the US Regional Airlines Association (RAA) convention in San Antonio, Texas, on 1-3 May.
The US company has so far secured only about a third of the $660 million required to launch development of the 70-seat SL-70 and 90-seat SL-90 StarLiner, and now plans to make its debut at the Farnborough air show in July.
Chief executive Earl Robinson told RAA Convention News that Alliance plans to fly its 90-seat twinjet in the third quarter of 2002, with certification set for early 2003. General Electric, which will power competing 90-seaters from Bombardier, Embraer and Fairchild with derivatives of its CF34, says Alliance has yet to select an engine.
Alliance hopes to be first to market with a 90-seater, but Bombardier says it plans to begin delivering its stretched CRJ900 by the end of 2002, despite having slipped the launch decision to the third quarter of this year.
Embraer is to start delivering its 108-seat RJ-190-200 in the second quarter of 2004, but will not begin deliveries of its 90-seat ERJ-190-100 until a year later. Fairchild is to begin delivering its 928JET some time after the baseline 70-seat 728JET enters service in early 2003. BAE Systems, meanwhile, will begin deliveries of 85- and 100-seat versions of its upgraded RJX by the end of 2001, making it first into this end of the market.
Source: Flight International
