Bombardier plans to announce improved performance specifications for the CSeries family at the Paris air show, in a move that could boost sales for the airframer that has recently gone through a management shake-up.
“We will be updating our performance of the aircraft at the airshow,” says Fred Cromer, president of Bombardier Commercial Aircraft, who stepped into his role in April. “We are updating the brochure [of the CSeries].”
“We will be confirming or adjusting the performance of the airplane as well as what we’ve learnt in terms of fuel burn which will affect the range.”
Cromer says he does not want to “steal the thunder” of what the airframer plans to announce at Paris, but adds that Bombardier is “very encouraged” by what it has seen in the CSeries flight test programme to update the brochure.
The improved performance metrics will apply to both the CS100 and CS300, says Cromer.
Paris will mark the major air show debut of the CSeries, with the CS300 slated to feature in the flying display while the CS100 will be on the static display. The airframer has so far logged more than 600 orders and commitments for the CSeries, but only 243 of those are firm orders.
Cromer hopes that the improved performance and having the CSeries on display at the show will draw more sales. “The confidence level that we have… combined with those two milestones [certification and entry into service] coming up creates a lot of momentum and enthusiasm. We have to continue to push that.”
Bombardier will also take the opportunity to introduce its new management to the industry at the show, notes Cromer. Before Cromer joined Bombardier, the airframer appointed Alain Bellemare to president and chief executive in February. More recently, Colin Bole joined Bombardier as its top salesman for commercial aircraft.
Cromer says customer response so far at the IATA AGM has been largely positive. “The response we are getting is: ‘This makes tremendous sense’,” says Cromer, who points out that Bombardier’s new management team comprises familiar faces to the airline industry.
Both Cromer and Bole joined Bombardier from lessors – Cromer from ILFC and Bole from Intrepid Aviation. Bellemare came to the airframer from UTC, where he had headed the propulsion and aerospace systems division.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
