Bombardier's CRJ1000 NextGen regional jet is on course to take to the air this summer, with the first flight likely in July.
The flight-test programme is expected to comprise about 590h up to basic certification in the fourth quarter of 2009, plus another 150h to support service entry, says the company.
Cold weather testing is likely to take place at Iqualuit, Nunavut in northern Canada, and hot weather testing will probably be performed at Yuma, Arizona, it adds.
The prototype CRJ1000 was created through the stretch of the CRJ900 test aircraft. It is not expected to make an appearance at the Farnborough air show in July.
Bombardier has 39 firm orders from four customers for the 100-seat aircraft. It says that is "actively planning the ramp-up of CRJ1000 activities for 2009 and 2010".
Assembly images of the CRJ1000 on AirSpace
Source: Flight International
