February 2006, and Bombardier announces it is placing its new Cseries regional jet family on ice. The world’s media are quick to write the obituaries on the project. But to Bombardier, reports of the jetliner’s demise were premature.
A skeleton team remained on the project, and to the surprise of many, the firm took a full-size mock-up of the CSeries cabin on display at the Asian Aerospace 2006 show, and executives of the Canadian company told the press: “The World misconstrued it as being on hold”.
Bombardier still believed in the market of 6,300 aircraft in the 100-149-seat segment and that it would be in that market “one way or another.”
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Fast-forward to Farnborough International 2008, and Bombardier delivered on its promise, with the formal launch of the five-model series on the back of a “letter of interest” from Lufthansa for 30 of the aircraft, plus 30 options. If the total order is realised, the deal will be worth $2.8 billion.
For Bombardier, this is just the start, for it believes that it can capture some 50% of the market in the segment. Better later than never...
Source: Flight International
