Sir - In your Comment "Missing the bus" (Flight International, 17-23 September), British Aerospace's reluctance over regional aircraft is defended.
Besides the fact that most of it applies also to larger airliners, however, it would have been fair for BAe to have declared its reluctance to its partners two years ago, before joining Aero International (Regional) with promises of support for future developments.
Bombardier, a private-sector company with an enviable reputation for good management and shareholder value, is pursuing its efforts and investments to dominate the regional-aircraft market with the recent launch of the CRJ-700 - I think it must be mad!
It is true that BAe has been burned in the past in this market, but financial disaster was built in at the concept phase of its products. The 146 was simply the wrong product for the operator and manufacturer. With four engines, it was too heavy, too complex, too slow and too costly to build and operate.
Add to that two assembly lines and, in my opinion, a commercial policy which could be improved upon, and you have the ingredients for a failure.
The starting point is to propose the right product. As in any market, the customer is ready to pay for what he really gets. Inferior products can sell, but at inferior prices.
European manufacturers have gained a hard-won leading position in a significantly restructured and healthier regional-aircraft market. A properly managed and designed regional-jet programme can be profitable in this environment.
Missing the bus would mean abandoning this position without fighting, along with all the efforts and investments already made.
With this type of approach, UK industry failed to join Airbus Industrie as a full partner in the early stages, preferring the more comfortable status of subcontractor. Without the political willingness of some stubborn (but visionary) French and Germans, Airbus would not exist. Another bus that European industry could have well have afforded to miss?
M Praz
Toulouse, France
Source: Flight International
