July 13, 2012 — Farnborough, United Kingdom
Aerospace

Bombardier Aerospace today concluded a successful week at the 2012 Farnborough International Airshow, where it had the opportunity to connect with business and commercial aircraft customers from around the world and announced up to $3.27 billion in firm orders and other commitments for its Q400 NextGen, CRJ and CSeries aircraft.

“We arrived at Farnborough with solid momentum following a strong first half of the year, and I’m delighted with the success we have had this week,” said Guy C. Hachey, President and Chief Operating Officer, Bombardier Aerospace. “This airshow is a wonderful opportunity for us to connect with our stakeholders across the industry, and I’m very pleased with the level of interest and activity we’re seeing in all of our aircraft programs and services.”

“We have had a tremendous volume of traffic in our chalet, the CSeries Dome that houses the CSeries aircraft cabin demonstrator and flight deck, and the static display. We have proudly introduced our new brand promise, The Evolution of Mobility, to customers, suppliers, government representatives, industry partners and members of the media that we interacted with over the course of the week,” added Mr. Hachey.

Since July 7, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft announced firm orders and other commitments for up to 52 aircraft worth up to $3.27 billion US with China Express Airlines, airBaltic, Jazz Aviation LP and an undisclosed customer. Bombardier Commercial Aircraft has had a great start to 2012 with 154 orders, including firm and conditional orders as well as options, from 11 customers from across the globe. During the show, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft also briefed members of the media on the CSeries aircraft program, including on its discussions with Ilyushin Finance Co. and AirAsia, as well as held events with Nordic Aviation Capital, Flybe and Pratt & Whitney. In addition, Jazz Aviation grabbed headlines with the announcement that it had enrolled its fleet of Q400 NextGen aircraft in Bombardier’s Smart Parts cost protection program, making it the fifth prominent airline worldwide to have signed a customized long-term Smart Parts agreement for its Q400 aircraft fleet in the past few months.

The airshow was also an opportunity for Bombardier Business Aircraft to continue or start discussions with multiple customers and provide an update on its Learjet aircraft development programs. During a press conference on Wednesday, July 11, Ralph Acs, Vice President and General Manager, Learjet, Bombardier Business Aircraft, confirmed that there are now four Learjet 85 test aircraft in various stages of fabrication. The Learjet 70 and Learjet 75 aircraft program is also progressing well, with the first two flight test aircraft having already logged more than 135 flights and 600 test hours.

With the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games only a couple of weeks away, Bombardier Customer Services announced the opening of its newest Regional Support Office at Farnborough, United Kingdom. The office, the latest addition to Bombardier’s fast-growing footprint of global services, will anchor regional support capabilities for the growing number of Bombardier business aircraft customers in Europe, and Bombardier Business Aircraft customers traveling through London during the Olympic Games can expect bolstered on-site support round the clock from July 23 to August 17, 2012.

Source and photo: Bombardier