Mike Martin
BAE Systems Regional Aircraft has won an order for six Avro RJ100 airliners and six options on the new Avro RJX100. The customer is British Airways' London Gatwick-based subsidiary CityFlyer Express.
The firm order is worth $180 million, while the list price for the combined firm order and options is $360 million.
The RJ100 airliners will be delivered between November 2000 and April 2001 and will raise CityFlyer's RJ100 fleet to 16 aircraft. The new aircraft will be used to replace ATR42 and ATR72 turboprops on growing routes and new routes under study Gatwick-Toulouse and Gatwick-Bordeaux.
CityFlyer is the second customer for the newly launched Avro RJX and the first existing RJ customer to place options on the type. Brad Burgess, City-Flyer Express managing director, says: "Our customers will benefit from improved comfort levels and shorter journey times as we switch more and more turboprop flying to jet services. Following the introduction of these six RJ100s, some 85% of our passengers will be travelling on jets."
Mike O'Callaghan, managing director of BAE Systems Regional Aircraft, says: "I am delighted that British Airways and CityFlyer Express have confirmed their continuing interest in the Avro RJ family."
Source: Flight Daily News
