Bombardier has received simultaneous Canadian and US certification for its Challenger 300, four years after the super mid-size business jet was launched at Paris. The all-new design is expected to receive European approval within weeks and enter service by year-end.
The Canadian manufacturer had originally scheduled certification of the Challenger 300 (formerly Continental) for September last year, but revised this to early this year to minimise entry-into-service issues. Transport Canada certification was received on 30 May and US Federal Aviation Administration approval on 4 June, two months later than the revised schedule.
Bombardier was keen to achieve full type approval with no exemptions for initial customers, says John Holding, executive vice-president engineering. Certification of the Learjet 40 light business jet, at Paris for the first time, is expected next month, with deliveries beginning early next year. The super-large Global 5000, also making its debut, is to be certificated early next year, leading to service entry late in 2004.
Bombardier fractional ownership programme Flexjet, which has 25 Challenger 300s on firm order, will receive the first aircraft in December. "Flexjet provides us with an excellent data source for function and reliability testing prior to other deliveries," says Bombardier Business Aircraft president Peter Edwards. Several operators in the Flexjet Europe block charter programme have aircraft on order, he says.
Source: Flight International
