Bombardier has officially handed over its 1,000th super-midsize aircraft, a Challenger 3500 to long-standing customer JM Family Enterprises.

Challenger 3500 Exterior Blue Sky

Source: Bombardier

The Challenger 3500 was originally launched as the Continental in 1999

“Reaching the delivery of our 1,000th super-midsize aircraft marks a defining moment,” said Bombardier chief executive Eric Martel at a ceremony at its Montreal delivery centre on 27 February attended by 700 employees.

Bombardier claims to have conceived the super-midsize segment when it launched the original Continental at the 1999 Paris air show. The name reflected the type’s ability to fly from the east to west coast of the USA, but it was rechristened the Challenger 300 to help establish a family connection with its established Challenger 600 sibling, shortly after it entered service in 2004.

The Challenger 350 variant was certificated in 2014, with the current model, the Challenger 3500, announced in 2021.

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