First Operator In Europe To Announce CRJ900 Order

Bombardier Aerospace announced Friday that Styrian Sprit of Graz, Austria has signed a contract to acquire one Bombardier CRJ900 jetliner.

"The commonality between the CRJ700 and CRJ900 aircraft was very important to us in our decision to order a CRJ900 rather than another CRJ700," said Otmar Lenz, Chief Executive Officer, Styrian Spirit. "We get a larger aircraft, which we need on some of our routes, yet because of the commonality we will save a substantial amount of money on crewing, maintenance and spare parts."

"With fuel costs the way they are, airlines are requiring larger aircraft with better operating economics," said Steven Ridolfi, President, Bombardier Regional Aircraft. "The Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft has the lowest operating costs in its class. We are confident that the CRJ900 will serve Styrian Spirit and its passengers very well."

The Styrian Spirit CRJ900 jetliner will be outfitted with 88 seats and equipped with the Enhanced Performance Package (EPP) certificated in May, 2005. The EPP provides improved take-off and landing distances by combining the optimization of wing leading-edge devices and a redesigned winglet that results in an improved lift/drag ratio. The improved airfield performance pays special dividends at airports that are constrained by field length, surrounding obstructions or hot weather/high altitude conditions. The winglet contributes to even lower fuel consumption than the previous configuration offered.

Styrian Spirit began operations on March 24, 2003 with three previously owned Bombardier CRJ200 50-seat jets and later acquired one new CRJ200 and one new CRJ700 airliner from Bombardier Regional Aircraft. The airline currently serves nine destinations in Europe.

FMI: www.aerospace.bombardier.com