BOMBARDIER AEROSPACE : Les essais et la production de l'avion CRJ1000 NextGen de Bombardier progressent bien

PARIS, FRANCE -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 14/06/09 -- Les essais et la production du premier avion CRJ1000 NextGen progressent bien. Le biréacteur régional de 100 places, à la fine pointe de la technologie a été lancé en 2007 - à titre de la plus récente étape de l'évolution de la série CRJ, la gamme d'avions régionaux la plus populaire du monde.


Plus tôt aujourd'hui, Bombardier a annoncé une nouvelle commande ferme de 15 appareils par Air Nostrum. Le programme CRJ1000 NextGen a maintenant suscité 64 commandes fermes et quatre options.

" Nous continuons à accomplir de grands progrès, dont l'ajout du deuxième modèle de production, a déclaré Benjamin Boehm, vice-président, Programmes, Bombardier Avions commerciaux. Nous sommes ravis de la confiance que témoigne Air Norstrum dans le programme avec cette nouvelle commande importante de 15 avions additionnels, annoncée aujourd'hui. "

Among the program's recent highlights:

- The fuselage barrel for the first production CRJ1000 NextGen aircraft, S/N 19001, arrived at Bombardier's Mirabel, Quebec facilities on January 16, 2009 after traveling by sea and truck from Bombardier Aerospace, Belfast site, Northern Ireland. Wing to fuselage mating is complete and the aircraft has been transferred to the pre-flight hangar at Mirabel. Installation of the cabin interior as well as exterior painting is complete, and the aircraft is now in the final stage of preparation for flight.

- Following its initial flight at Mirabel, S/N 19001 will be flown to the Bombardier Flight Test Center in Wichita, Kansas where it will join the prototype CRJ1000 NextGen airliner, S/N 19991, in the flight test and functional and reliability testing programs. (The prototype aircraft made its inaugural flight from Mirabel on September 3, 2008).

- S/N 19991 had completed over 450 flight test hours by May, 2009, a bit more than 50 per cent of the estimated total flight test hours required for the program. Transport Canada have seen and reviewed the prototype aircraft and the agency's pilots have had opportunities to fly the aircraft.

- The second production model, S/N 19002, is now on the assembly line.

- The CRJ1000 NextGen simulator program is on track and will be

certified next month.

- The prototype aircraft has met or exceeded published speeds and altitudes and flutter tests have been successfully accomplished. Flights into natural icing conditions have also been successfully completed. The aircraft weight is on target.

- Transport Canada has approved the escalation of "C" check (heavy maintenance) intervals for the CRJ1000 NextGen aircraft to 6,000 flight hours, or approximately three years of airline service, thereby reducing maintenance costs for operators.

The CRJ1000 NextGen aircraft is a minimum change variant of the 88-passenger CRJ900 NextGen jetliner and will hold a common pilot type rating with it and the 70-passenger CRJ700 NextGen aircraft. Optimized for medium-haul applications, the CRJ NextGen family of aircraft is a benchmark for regional jet efficiency in the 60- to 100-seat segment.

About Bombardier

A world-leading manufacturer of innovative transportation solutions, from commercial aircraft and business jets to rail transportation equipment, systems and services, Bombardier Inc. is a global corporation headquartered in Canada. Its revenues for the fiscal year ended Jan. 31, 2009, were $19.7 billion US, and its shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (BBD). Bombardier is listed as an index component to the Dow Jones Sustainability World and North America indexes. News and information are available at www.bombardier.com.

Bombardier, CRJ, CRJ1000, CRJ900, CRJ700 and NextGen are trademarks of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries.

Notes to Editors

Photos of the CRJ1000 NextGen aircraft are available in at www.parisairshow.bombardier.com

Contacts:

Bombardier Aerospace

John Arnone

416-375 3030

www.bombardier.com

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