Bombardier is planning to offer two baseline versions of the newly announced CRJ700 Series 705 as an enlarged 75-seat counter to the Embraer 170/175 family. It is aimed at potential operators looking to optimise the size of regional jets allowed under some new scope clause agreements, and for carriers wanting to offer a larger dual-class cabin.
The Series 705 is essentially based on the CRJ900, which has a longer 36.4m (119ft 5in) fuselage. There are two variants - a baseline 74-seat aircraft with a single-class configuration certificated to a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 36,100kg (79,500lb), and the 705 ER seating 75 in a two-class layout and certificated at 37,460kg MTOW.
US Airways is launch customer for the latter version, which will be configured with a nine-seat, three-abreast business class in a 38in (96cm) pitch and a 66-seat, four-abreast economy section with a 31in pitch. This compares with the more conventionally configured CRJ900 seating either 86 or, with the rear luggage bulkhead pushed back, 90 in single-class with a 31in pitch, and the shorter CRJ700 which can accommodate 70 passengers in single class or 6/58 in two-class.
For carriers like US Airways, which has a 76-seat and 37,460kg MTOW scope clause ceiling, the Series 705 offers better-optimised seat-mile economics than the CRJ700. Similarly, Embraer has sought to better exploit its new 170 design by stretching the 70-seat aircraft to the 175 to accommodate up to two extra seat rows.
The aircraft is also intended to improve the CRJ700/900's competitiveness in Europe, where airlines demand a more comfortable two-class cabin than that typically specified by US regional carriers. "We think this configuration offers an interesting opportunity for use by other airlines," says Bombardier president Pierre Beaudoin.
Source: Flight International
