Regional jets hit by drop in orders

MAX KINGSLEY-JONES / LONDON

Bombardier takes pole position in weak first half of year

Regional jet orders have slowed during the first half of the year, with just over 200 taken against 780 for the whole of 2000.

Bombardier has emerged as the winner in the first six months, taking 153 orders or 75% of the total. The 50-seat CRJ100/200 continues to be the bedrock of its orderbook, with 112 sales in the first half.

The combined tally for the other three players - BAE Systems, Embraer, and Fairchild Dornier - makes relatively disappointing reading with just 51 orders taken between them. Embraer in particular had a quiet first half, although it has a further 60 order commitments in the bag from TAM, Chautaqua and Trans States, which should be included in the firm backlog by the end of the year.

BAE Systems secured its first major RJ-X order earlier this year, a deal for 12 aircraft from British European.It will, however, be anxious to add to its customer list for the new model before year end.

Fairchild Dornier's first half was dominated by a key order from Atlantic Coast Airlines for the 328JET, as well as the addition of CSA Czech Airlines to the 728JET orderbook.

Output in the sector continues to rise with 170 aircraft delivered in the first half. Embraer was the leading producer, delivering 85 units compared to 157 for the whole of last year. Bombardier's output tally has begun to benefit from the introduction of a second CRJ model, the CRJ700, deliveries of which began earlier this year.

The regional jet backlog stands at 1,318 aircraft, a slight increase on the end of last year, as output levels have started to close on the order intake tally and slow the backlog growth.

Source: Flight International