Braathens Leasing has placed a firm order for 10 Bombardier CSeries aircraft and taken options on an additional 10, raising the Canadian airframer's backlog to 100 CSeries firm orders and giving it a much-needed boost since inking its last CSeries order some 15 months ago.
The $665 million deal with Braathens Leasing, a member of Braathens Aviation of Sweden, covers the acquisition of five Bombardier CS100 and five CS300 mainline jetliners. Options for 10 additional CSeries aircraft, if converted to firm orders, would raise the amount to about $1.37 billion.
The twinjets will be operated by Braathens Aviation member Malmo Aviation from the regional airline's base at the Bromma-Stockholm City airport outside of downtown Stockholm.
Malmo Aviation, which operates a fleet of BAE Systems Avro RJs, intends to renew its fleet and explore new business opportunities with its CSeries aircraft starting in 2014, said Bombardier.
"Bromma, being a city airport, has very strict noise regulations, as well as a short runway," noted Braathens Aviation CEO Knut Solberg.
"We have been very focused on noise, emissions, fuel consumption and runway performance in our decision for a new aircraft type. With the CSeries aircraft, we found exactly what we were looking for. The CSeries aircraft promise excellent runway performance, noise levels which are less than half those of any similarly-sized aircraft currently in production, as well as unsurpassed environmental credentials."
The transaction announced today increases firm orders for the CSeries family of aircraft to 100, including 38 CS100 and 62 CS300 aircraft, and raises the number of CSeries aircraft customers to four.
Other customers that have ordered the CSeries include Frontier Airlines parent Republic Airways, which ordered 40 CS300 aircraft some 15 months ago; Lufthansa, which holds a firm order for 30 CS100 aircraft that are destined for its Swiss International Air Lines subsidiary; and Lease Corporation International Group, which ordered 17 CS300 and three CS100 aircraft.
Additionally, the CSeries aircraft program includes options for 100 aircraft.
The 110-seat CS100 aircraft is scheduled to enter revenue service in 2013, followed by the 130-seat CS300 aircraft in 2014.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
