Bucking Bar

Bombardier Inc. is set to go toe-to-toe with heavyweights Boeing Co. and Airbus SAS after it finally received its first firm order for its proposed 110- to 130-seat aircraft.
The Montreal-based maker of planes and trains said yesterday that Deutsche Lufthansa AG has signed a firm purchase order for 30 of its proposed C-Series jets in a deal valued at $1.53 billion (U.S.) based on current list prices.
The C-Series will be larger than Bombardier's current regional jets, which top out at around 100 seats, and will compete directly with the smaller jets in Boeing's 737 family, as well as the Airbus A318 and A319.
Lufthansa, which agreed to become the launch customer for the C-Series in July, has options to purchase another 30 of the planes. They will be operated by the German carrier's Swiss International Air Lines Ltd. subsidiary.
While some analysts had raised concerns about C-Series viability earlier this year, Benjamin Boehm, vice-president of Bombardier's commercial aircraft division, said the company never harboured doubts about the program and further orders would be forthcoming.
"Our sales teams are out and about working with quite a few different airlines, and are in various stages of discussions," Boehm said.
He also suggested that recent rumours about talks with Qatar Airways falling apart shouldn't be construed as an indication the airline is not interested in the C-Series.
Investors also seemed to share Bombardier's enthusiasm, pushing up the stock 4.63 per cent, or 12 cents, to close at $2.71 on the Toronto Stock Exchange yesterday.
The long-range C-Series aircraft are slated for delivery in 2013 and would target global airlines that want to buy 100- to 149-passenger aircraft, a market now dominated by the world's two biggest commercial aviation companies, Chicago-based Boeing and Europe's Airbus.
Boehm said he believes Bombardier could capture roughly half of that segment, or about 3,000 aircraft, over the next two decades.
Bombardier's pitch to airlines focuses on the aircraft's modern design and technologies, as well as fuel efficiency touted as being 20 per cent better than its competitors.
David Newman, an analyst at National Bank Financial, said in a note yesterday that Delta Air Lines Inc. and Northwest Airlines were candidates to buy C-Series jets before their merger plans were unveiled.
"We believe the combined airline could also benefit from the C-Series, current challenging conditions notwithstanding," he said.
Newman added that Alaska Airlines may also need a 100-seat plane in the near term, while additional orders could come from airlines in the Middle East and China.
Final assembly of the plane is to take place at Bombardier's facility at Mirabel Airport near Montreal. Wings will be built at the company's operations in Belfast, Ireland.
While Bombardier recently announced layoffs of 1,360 workers amid slower sales of business jets, Boehm said the company would need to add about 400 more engineering and development staff for the C-Series over the next four years.
Some 600 people currently work on the C-Series project. At peak production, there would be about 3,200 workers on the C-Series assembly lines, Boehm said.
Research Capital analyst Jacques Kavafian said recent hand-wringing over the C-Series' future is overblown. "They still have five years to build the backlog," he said.

acl65pilot

First of many.

forgot to bid

Looks like a 787 and A320 love child... and just for that folks we shall have some Diana Ross!

Love Child
Never meant to be
Love Child
(Scorned by) Society
Love Child
Always second best
Love Child
(Different from) Different from the rest
Love Child
Born in poverty (in Canada)




What do you get when you cross a French nationalist (A-320) with a Seattle hippie (B-787)? Someone from Montreal (C-Series). Although guys, one of my favorite overnights was Quebec City Quebec, wowser. The women were just gorgeous! Montreal? I guess its alright if you can get downtown but the airport hotels sucked... but you'll just love Quebec City!

tortue

Don't you mean separatist? Not much nationalism in Quebec

and yes, Quebec & Montreal are awesome and much better than anything in the other provinces.

Fly4hire

We are frakked if anyone like UAL allows this to be flown at a feeder level, blocked to 86 seats.....crossing fingers for some mainline orders....

johnso29

That Hilton Airport in Montreal SUCKS!! You have to wait forever to get checked in, the staff is rude, and then you have to walk forever to get to your room. I know, I'm not holding anything back.

Bigflya

Reminds of about a year ago during indoc. The mgmt types that spkoke to us said that there was "currently" no 100 seater in production and that if DAL made an offer for NWA, that the 9's were a positive. Well, now there is a 100 seater going to production. The 9's are 35 yrs old now and with the plane supposedly ready to be delivered in 2013, that would make them about the ripe old age of 40. Most likely will be replaced by then. Those airframes making up about 10% of the combined fleet, really make our fleet age appear old even though we have many new aircraft.

Scope is as important as ever as we need mainline pilots flying mainline a/c. Our contract will be up for negotiation prior to these things arriving, though they would be on order already. We are not against new a/c obviuosly, just giving the flying away with the promise of growth in the larger airframes. Hopefully, we have learned a lesson on what can happen to this growth in the last displacement and the announced additional 10% flying in intl flying. With the whole displacement starting with the ATL domestic 75/76 CA's, hopefully we will garner more support with the total pilot group as it effected many folks.

Bigflya

Yes, but if you took the stroll down to Club Supersex for a little exotic entertainment you would have forgot all about it.

acl65pilot

go to the Le Monfront. Little better but quite french

johnso29

Very True!