LONDON — On July 19, 2004 Bombardier Aerospace gave its new concept, a 110 and 130 seat aircraft a name: The CSeries.
Four years later, after troubled fits and starts, Bombardier appears
poised to make its next generation single-aisle aircraft a reality with
an official product launch.
Bombardier has scheduled a 10:30 AM GMT (5:30 AM ET) press conference for an unspecified announcement. FlightBlogger will cover the press conference live right here.
Pierre Beaudoin, President and Chief Executive Officer, will be joined
by Guy C. Hachey, President and Chief Operating Officer and Gary Scott,
President, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. All the key players one
would expect to see at a CSeries launch announcement.
The company has already said that they have given itself until the close of 2008 to launch the CSeries.
Gary Scott, who was then President of new commercial aircraft programs, said at the 2004 Farnborough Air Show that, “We are looking at going to the
board early next year and look to launch it, if approved, early next year – and
[have it] in service no later than 2010, but a lot of that depends on the
engine.”
Though the
timing of the 2004 prediction of a 2010 EIS slipped because of
a largely unreceptive market, his insistence on the engine technology
driving the launch is still just as vital today. In January 2006, Bombardier
canceled its CSeries program.
Pratt & Whitney, maker of the Geared Turbofan engine that will
power the CSeries, is planning a major announcement Monday at 11:30 AM,
presumably to celebrate the commencement of flight testing on its 747SP
test bed aircraft. Bombardier selected the GTF at the Dubai Air Show in November 2007.
The overlapping of CSeries launch and GTF flight testing would be a boost for both programs as they seek to show that next generation gains in efficiency are available today.
Bombardier used the Singapore Air Show in February to receive authorization to offer the CSeries. Recently, Bombardier’s design and development of the new high and hot 130XT indicated a market demand for these requirements.
Though a launch customer is unknown, signs have pointed to Chinese airlines who are rumored to be meeting with the
CAAC (Civil Aviation Administration of China) on July 14 to receive
authorization to purchase the the type. With China being seven times zones
ahead, a decision could be ready in time for the 10:30 announcement.
If a launch does not come tomorrow, at the bare minimum Bombardier should select a final assembly location for CSeries. Mirabel, outside of Montreal, is competing with Kansas City, Missouri for the crucial program role.
The selection of an engine, authorization to offer and potential final assembly site selection are major steps for Bombardier, but an incremental approach to launching a new commercial aircraft program without a customer challenges the credibility of the CSeries program. Though the landscape for a new narrow-body has changed dramatically since 2006, if a launch does not come during Farnborough the industry should justifiably ask if this airplane is right for Bombardier.
The world gets its answer in the morning.
This post was originally published to the internet between 2007 and 2012. Links, images, and embedded media from that era may no longer function as intended.
This post originally appeared at Flightglobal.com from 2007 to 2012.