First CRJ100 Flew In May 1991

Bombardier Aerospace announced Thursday the CRJ Series program has exceeded 1,500 deliveries. The 1,500th aircraft, a CRJ900 NextGen model, was handed over to Northwest Airlines in March 2008, and will be operated by Mesaba Airlines, a Northwest Airlink carrier.

On Friday, April 18, the milestone was celebrated during the delivery of another CRJ900 NextGen regional jet to Northwest Airlines, at Bombardier’s manufacturing facility at Mirabel, Quebec. The CRJ900 NextGen aircraft delivered during the ceremony was accepted by Dan McDonald, Vice-President, Fleet Planning and Strategy, Northwest Airlines, Inc.

"The CRJ900 aircraft has exceeded our expectations for performance and passenger comfort," said Mr. McDonald. "The NextGen interior is a real winner with our customers and results of our passenger survey confirm this fact. Thanks to all the Bombardier employees that made this important product improvement a reality."

Northwest Airlines has ordered 56 CRJ200, 86 CRJ440 and 36 CRJ900 NextGen airliners. Mesaba Airlines operated 25 de Havilland Dash 8 turboprops in the early 1990s, before Bombardier acquired de Havilland.

"The 1,500th Bombardier CRJ aircraft, which we delivered to Northwest last month, is the result of a solid partnership between Bombardier, our suppliers and employees. Above all, it’s about the proud Bombardier workforce who produced the aircraft," said James Dailly, Senior Vice-President, Sales, Bombardier Regional Aircraft.

The CRJ Series has grown from the original 50-seat CRJ100 and CRJ200, to the 44-seat CRJ440, 70-seat CRJ700, 75-seat CRJ705, 86-seat CRJ900 and the 100-seat CRJ1000, which is scheduled to enter airline service in the fourth quarter of 2009. In the spring of 2007, Bombardier introduced its next generation of regional jets, the CRJ700 NextGen, CRJ900 NextGen and CRJ1000 NextGen, with all-new interiors, lower operating costs and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

Bombardier launched the CRJ program on March 31, 1989 with 56 firm orders and six options on the books. The CRJ regional jet first flew on May 10, 1991 and received Canadian Department of Transport type approval on July 31, 1992, followed by US and European approvals early in 1993. The CRJ began revenue service with launch customer Lufthansa CityLine on November 1, 1992.

Today, firm orders for CRJ Series aircraft stand at 1,663 aircraft. CRJ aircraft have been ordered by more than 50 customers in more than 20 countries throughout the Asia/Pacific region, Africa, Europe, Middle East, and North and South America.

FMI: www.bombardier.com, www.mesabairlines.com