MONTREAL – AVIATION – Bombardier Commercial Aircraft has announced that Dublin-based regional carrier, CityJet has signed a conditional purchase agreement for six CRJ900 aircraft and has also taken options on an additional four aircraft. This purchase agreement is expected to go firm on January 31, 2017. Upon delivery, the aircraft will operate wet lease services on behalf of Scandinavian Airlines (SAS).
Based on the list price of the CRJ900 aircraft, the conditional order is valued at approximately US $280 million and could increase to US $467 million, should CityJet exercise all its options.
“CityJet has become one of our largest European CRJ900 aircraft advocates in a short period of time and we are delighted that they continue to put their confidence in Bombardier and its products,” said Ryan DeBrusk, Vice President, Sales, Europe, Russia & Commonwealth of Independent States, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “The CRJ900 aircraft is ideally suited to growing markets across Europe and is creating excellent value for a wide variety of operators with its superior performance, economics and enhanced cabin amenities.”
“The reputable, modern CRJ900 aircraft offers great passenger comfort while maintaining cost effectiveness and operational flexibility; both important factors in our business model,” said Pat Byrne, Executive Chairman, CityJet. “We have been very satisfied with the performance of the CRJ900 regional jets which have proven themselves to be the ideal and most efficient aircraft for our contract flying with Scandinavian Airlines.”
CityJet currently owns a fleet of eight CRJ900 aircraft which are on wet lease service with SAS. The airline will also take delivery of four new CRJ900 aircraft in early 2017 as per Bombardier’s order announcement on April 25, 2016, bringing CityJet’s owned fleet of CRJ900 aircraft to 12. As part of its acquisition of Cimber A/S, a regional airline in Denmark and a former wholly owned subsidiary of SAS, CityJet will operate Cimber’s fleet of 11 CRJ900 aircraft also on wet lease service with SAS. These aircraft will be replaced by up to 10 additional CRJ900 aircraft that were announced today.
About CityJet
CityJet is an Irish-based regional airline with its headquarters in Swords, Dublin. The airline was established in 1993 to operate services between Dublin and London City Airport and today operates ten routes from across Europe to London City, where it currently holds approximately 30% of the airport slots. CityJet also has a significant wet lease business, including services on behalf of Air France and SAS and operates a wide range of ad hoc charters on behalf of sports groups, the entertainment industry, tour operators and corporate customers.
In March 2016, CityJet was purchased by an investment group led by Executive Chairman Pat Byrne. The airline is now focused on delivering a strategy which sees it consolidate its scheduled business and grow its position as a leading provider of wet lease services to customer airlines. www.cityjet.com
About CRJ aircraft
Every 10 seconds a CRJ Series regional jet takes off somewhere in the world. The CRJ Series family of aircraft has transported almost 1.6 billion passengers to become the world’s most successful regional jet program — linking people and communities like no other. The CRJ Series regional jets have revolutionized aviation with their proven efficiency, reliability and profitability.
The CRJ Series regional jets share commonality benefits that provide flexibility to operators and allow them to optimize their fleets to meet specific market demands. No other regional aircraft deliver this capability. Optimized for medium-haul regional routes, these aircraft can provide up to 10 per cent cash operating cost advantage over competing jets.
Each of the CRJ aircraft models offers its own distinct advantages. The CRJ200 regional jet offers outstanding ownership cost, ideal for opening new routes and markets. The CRJ700 regional jet is the lightest aircraft in its category, delivering impressive efficiency, performance and fuel burn savings, while the CRJ900 regional jet offers tremendous flexibility and is ideally suited for growing markets. The CRJ1000 regional jet, which has the highest passenger capacity in the family, delivers the lowest seat-mile cost in the regional jet market and burns up to 13 per cent less fuel than its competitors.
Since its launch, the CRJ Series family of regional jets has stimulated the regional jet market. In North America alone, it accounts for over 20 per cent of all jet departures. Globally, the family operates more than 200,000 flights per month.
The CRJ Series aircraft family includes over 100 owners and operators in 49 countries, and the worldwide fleet has logged more than 45 million flight hours. To date, Bombardier has booked firm orders for 1,902 CRJ Series aircraft.
About Bombardier
Bombardier is the world’s leading manufacturer of both planes and trains. Looking far ahead while delivering today, Bombardier is evolving mobility worldwide by answering the call for more efficient, sustainable and enjoyable transportation everywhere. Our vehicles, services and, most of all, our employees are what make us a global leader in transportation.
Bombardier is headquartered in Montréal, Canada.
