- First order includes eight firm CRJ900 aircraft and six option aircraft to be operated by CityJet in the Scandinavian Airlines network
- Separately, a long-standing customer signs order for two firm CRJ700 aircraft
Montréal, 2015-10-5 — /Travel PR News/ — Bombardier Commercial Aircraft has welcomed Dublin-based CityJet (CityJet) to the CRJ Series family of aircraft operators following confirmation that it will operate CRJ900 aircraft in the network of Sweden’s Scandinavian Airlines (SAS). CityJet will acquire the aircraft from a customer that signed a firm purchase agreement for eight CRJ900 aircraft and took options on an additional six. The customer has requested to remain unidentified at this time.
Based on the list price of the CRJ900 aircraft, the firm agreement signed by Bombardier and its customer is valued at approximately $369 million USD. The value could increase to $651 million USD if all options are exercised.
“The long-term profitability and development of our airline is dependent on the addition of modern, fuel-efficient aircraft to our fleet. The CRJ900 jetliners with their lower operating costs, outstanding operational flexibility and enhanced cabin amenities were key factors in our successful tender for our new SAS contract,” said Pat Byrne, Executive Chairman, CityJet. “As a long-time regional operator for some of Europe’s finest airlines, we are pleased to add SAS to our list of distinguished customers.”
“We are looking forward to working with CityJet to further expand our regional route network and thereby strengthen SAS’ offering to frequent travelers. These new Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft from CityJet will provide us with efficient and flexible production of regional flights that will feed our larger traffic flows and will complement nicely the 12 CRJ900 aircraft in SAS’ current network operation,” said Rickard Gustafson, President and CEO at SAS.
“We welcome CityJet as the newest member to the CRJ aircraft family. With its unique operations, CityJet has forged strong business relationships with many of Bombardier’s long-standing customers, such as SAS who now look to CityJet’s expertise for their network growth,” said Ryan DeBrusk, Vice President, Sales, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Russia & Commonwealth of Independent States, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “CityJet brings an impressive amount of knowledge and experience in the wet lease market whereby it will now provide airlines with modern aircraft, crews and maintenance for operation.”
CRJ700 Order
Bombardier Commercial Aircraft also announced that a long-standing customer, who has requested to remain unidentified at this time, has signed a firm purchase agreement for two CRJ700 aircraft.
Based on the list price for the CRJ700 aircraft, the firm order is valued at approximately $86 million US.
Including both firm agreements, Bombardier has recorded firm orders for 1,873 CRJ Series aircraft. Worldwide, CRJ Series aircraft are in service with more than 60 airlines and over 60 customers operate corporate variants of the aircraft in more than 50 countries on six continents. CRJ Series aircraft have transported more than 1.5 billion passengers and have logged more than 41 million flight hours and over 34 million takeoffs and landings.
About CityJet
CityJet is an Irish airline with its headquarters near Dublin airport in Swords but whose main base is London City airport (LCY). CityJet currently has a fleet of 18 RJ85 aircraft operating under its own WX code as well as an historic ACMI contract for Air France.
CityJet was owned by Air France (AF) until April 2014 and was operated solely to support passenger feed to AF. Since then the airline has been very successful in consolidating its position as an independent airline on its own branded route network centred at LCY where it holds 30% of the slots.
Over the last 9 months, CityJet has put in place the right people and infrastructure such that the management team believes it now has a stable platform on which to roll out its proposed strategy which is to consolidate its position at LCY, to develop other niche markets and extend its ACMI business beyond its AF contract. The SAS contract represents the first significant step in this regard.
About SAS
SAS is Scandinavia’s leading airline, with daily flights to destinations in Europe, the USA, and Asia. SAS is a member of Star Alliance™ and through its 26 partners is able to offer over 1,200 destinations in 193 countries around the world. For more information, visit www.flysas.com.
About CRJ Series Aircraft
Every 10 seconds a CRJ Series regional jet takes off somewhere in the world. The CRJ Series family of aircraft has transported almost 1.6 billion passengers to become the world’s most successful regional jet program — linking people and communities like no other. The CRJ Series regional jets have revolutionized aviation with their proven efficiency, reliability and profitability.
The CRJ Series regional jets share commonality benefits that provide flexibility to operators and allow them to optimize their fleets to meet specific market demands. No other regional aircraft deliver this capability. Optimized for medium-haul regional routes, these aircraft can provide up to 10 per cent cash operating cost advantage over competing jets.
Each of the three CRJ aircraft models offers its own distinct advantages. The CRJ700 regional jet is the lightest aircraft in its category, delivering impressive efficiency, performance and fuel burn savings, while the CRJ900 regional jet offers tremendous flexibility and is ideally suited for growing markets. The CRJ1000 regional jet, which has the highest passenger capacity in the family, delivers the lowest seat-mile cost in the regional jet market and burns up to 13 per cent less fuel than its competitors.
Since its launch, the CRJ Series family of regional jets has stimulated the regional jet market. In North America alone, it accounts for over 20 per cent of all jet departures. Globally, the family operates more than 200,000 flights per month.
About Bombardier
Bombardier is the world’s leading manufacturer of both planes and trains. Looking far ahead while delivering today, Bombardier is evolving mobility worldwide by answering the call for more efficient, sustainable and enjoyable transportation everywhere. Our vehicles, services and, most of all, our employees are what make us a global leader in transportation.
Bombardier is headquartered in Montréal, Canada. Our shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (BBD) and we are listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index. In the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014, we posted revenues of $20.1 billion. News and information are available at bombardier.com or follow us on Twitter @Bombardier.
Notes to Editors
Images of CRJ900 aircraft in SAS livery are posted with this press release at www.bombardier.com.
For more information on CRJ Series aircraft, visit http://news.commercialaircraft.bombardier.com.
Follow @BBD_Aircraft on Twitter to receive the latest news and updates from Bombardier Commercial Aircraft.
To receive our press releases, please visit the RSS Feed section of Bombardier’s website.
Bombardier, CRJ Series, CRJ700, CRJ900 and The Evolution of Mobility are trademarks of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries.
For Information
Marianella de la Barrera
Bombardier Commercial Aircraft
+1-416-375-3030
marianella.delabarrera@aero.bombardier.com
###
Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft in SAS livery