Bombardier Delivers to American Airlines
MONTREAL – AVIATION – Bombardier Aerospace has delivered the first of 30 enhanced CRJ900 NextGenaircraft to American Airlines Group Inc. The aircraft will be operated by American Airlines Group wholly owned subsidiary PSA Airlines, Inc. under the American Eagle brand. The purchase agreement for the aircraft, which was announced in December 2013, also included options on an additional 40 CRJ900 NextGen aircraft.
Prior to yesterday’s delivery ceremony, the aircraft was unveiled to American Airlines employees and PSA Airlines employees at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and in Dayton, Ohio. Representatives of the media also had the opportunity to view the aircraft.
American Airlines is the first customer to take delivery of the enhanced CRJ900 NextGen regional jet, which provides up to 5.5 per cent fuel burn reduction over earlier-generation CRJ900 aircraft.
The delivery ceremony at Bombardier’s Mirabel, Québec, facility was attended by senior executives and employees of American Airlines, PSA Airlines, Bombardier and major suppliers to the CRJ Series regional jet program.
“We look forward to integrating the enhanced CRJ900 NextGen aircraft into our fleet and to expanding service for our customers,” said Keith Houk, President, PSA Airlines. “The new CRJ900 NextGen aircraft will provide us with new opportunities and signal a bright future for PSA.”
“This milestone delivery of the first enhanced CRJ900 NextGen aircraft further cements our long-standing relationship with American Airlines and we are pleased to welcome PSA Airlines as the latest operator to join the CRJ900 NextGen family,” said Ray Jones, Senior Vice President, Sales, Marketing and Asset Management, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “Both airlines have been operating Bombardier aircraft for more than 10 years and have helped the CRJ family of aircraft become the benchmark in regional aviation. We look forward to the aircraft’s imminent entry-into-service and congratulate American Airlines and PSA Airlines as they target their various markets with the right aircraft to meet the requirements of both business and leisure travellers.”
As of March 31, 2014, Bombardier had recorded firm orders for 1,817 CRJ Series aircraft, including 343 CRJ900 and CRJ900 NextGenaircraft. Worldwide, CRJ Series aircraft are in service with more than 60 airlines and more than 30 customers operate corporate variants of the aircraft. The aircraft are operating in more than 50 countries on six continents, and on average, a CRJ aircraft takes off every 10 seconds somewhere in the world. CRJ Series aircraft have transported more than 1.4 billion passengers and have logged more than 39 million flight hours and over 32 million takeoffs and landings.
About CRJ900 NextGen aircraft
Like other members of the CRJ Series family of aircraft, the light weight and advanced aerodynamics of the CRJ900 NextGen regional jet combine to deliver improved efficiency and reduced operating costs compared to other aircraft in its class. Since the launch of the earlier-generation CRJ900 aircraft, enhancements to the CRJ900 NextGen aircraft have resulted in up to 5.5 per cent fuel burn reduction.
In addition to offering significant fuel cost savings per aircraft, as well as outstanding operational flexibility, the CRJ900 NextGen aircraft provides customers with an improved experience that includes excellent legroom, bright cabins resulting from large windows and LED lighting as well as large overhead bins.
The CRJ900 NextGen aircraft’s advanced technologies include a conic-shaped exhaust nozzle that improves exhaust flow and reduces fuel consumption; various weight-saving initiatives; and a six-screen glass cockpit featuring the Rockwell Collins Pro Line IV integrated avionics suite, whose robust open architecture delivers reliable performance with growth capability to meet future communication, navigation, surveillance and air traffic management requirements.
