Acquisition and ownership costs of these larger regional jets must be kept low since regional airlines are the low-cost producers in the airline industry.įourteen airlines from seven countries attended the first BRJ-X Airline Advisory Council convened in Montréal in late 1998 by Bombardier Aerospace. The BRJ-X family of aircraft was to be designed to have the lowest possible operating costs in terms of fuel, crew, maintenance and ownership. The BRJ-X Series would fit between the smaller 50 to 70 seat Canadair Regional Jet family and larger 111 - 170 seat mainline jet aircraft. The proposed BRJ-X would have been the largest offering in Bombardier's stable of commercial regional aircraft, then comprised of the 37-78 seat Q Series Dash 8 turboprop family and the 50-70 seat family of Canadair Regional Jet aircraft.īombardier had identified a gap in aircraft capacity in the 80 to 110 seat range and forecast a requirement for 2,500 aircraft over a 20-year delivery period. The Canadian manufacturer was also planning to develop a stretched BRJ-X-110 variant from the baseline design. Bombardier saw the proposed type as slotting in between the 70-seat RJs and the new 100-seat Airbus A318 and Boeing 717-200 models. Designated BRJ-X, the aircraft would be an all-new design with a fuselage cross section of 128 inches, five-abreast seating, and two underwing-mounted engines in the 20,000 lbst power class. At that time, the manufacturer was planning a 36-month development period leading to certification in 2003. Bombardier then announced plans to develop a 90-seat RJ at the September 1998 Farnborough Air Show, and the company planned to make a go/no-go launch decision in late 1999.

Observers had seriously question the wisdom of Bombardier's quest to go up against Airbus (A318) and Boeing (717), particularly when both have such a head start on Bombardier.īombardier's effort to enter the 100+ seat market started when it considered purchasing Fokker whenr that company encountered financial problems. Bombardier postponed indefinitely development of its 110-seat BRJ-X, due in part to current commitments and the significant presence of Boeing and Airbus in this market segment. BRJ-X (Bombardier Regional Jet eXpansion)īombardier announced in mid-2000 that it was suspending development of the proposed BRJ-X twin-turbofan regional airliner following market evaluation studies.

Canadian air 700 seating