Bombardier CRJ

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Bombardier CRJ series
Lufthansa Cityline CRJ100
Role Regional jet
National origin Canada
Manufacturer Bombardier Aviation
First flight 10 May 1991
Introduction 19 October 1992 with Lufthansa CityLine[1]
Status In service
Primary users SkyWest Airlines
Endeavor Air
PSA Airlines
Air Wisconsin
GoJet Airlines
Produced 1991–2020
Number built 1,945[2]
Developed from Canadair Challenger 600 series
Variants Bombardier CRJ100/200
Bombardier CRJ700 series

The Bombardier CRJ/Mitsubishi CRJ or CRJ Series (for Canadair Regional Jet) is a family of regional jets introduced in 1991 by Bombardier Aerospace. The CRJ was manufactured by Bombardier Aerospace with the manufacturing of the first CRJ generation, the CRJ100/200 starting in 1991 and the second CRJ generation, the CRJ700 series starting in 1999.

The CRJ programme was acquired by Japanese corporation Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI RJ Aviation Group) in a deal that closed 1 June 2020. Bombardier subsequently completed the assembly of the order backlog on behalf of Mitsubishi.

Bombardier claims it is the most successful family of regional jets in the world.[3] Production ended in December 2020 after 1,945 were built.

Background[edit]

The family consists of the following aircraft generations and models/derivatives:

  • CRJ100/200
    • CRJ100 – maximum of 50 passenger seats
    • CRJ200 – maximum of 50 passenger seats, improved CF34-3B1 engine
      • CRJ440 – CRJ200 limited to 44 passenger seats
  • CRJ700 series
    • CRJ700 – maximum of 78 passenger seats
      • CRJ550 – CRJ700 limited to 50 passenger seats
    • CRJ900 – maximum of 90 passenger seats
      • CRJ705 – CRJ900 limited to 75 passenger seats
    • CRJ1000 – maximum of 104 passenger seats

Divestment[edit]

As of November 2018, following Bombardier's decisions to sell the CSeries to Airbus and the Q Series to De Havilland Canada, the company was looking at "strategic options" to return the CRJ to profitability. Analysts suspected that it may decide to exit the commercial aircraft market altogether and refocus on business aircraft.[4][5] That prediction came to pass on 25 June 2019, when a deal was announced to sell the CRJ programme to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the parent company of Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation.[6] Mitsubishi had a historic interest in the CRJ programme, having sounded out risk-sharing options with Bombardier, and were at one point expected to take a stake in its SpaceJet venture during the 1990s.[7][8] Bombardier has stopped taking new sales; production of the CRJ will continue at Mirabel until the current order backlog is complete, with final deliveries expected in the second half of 2020.[9] The deal is to include the type certificate for the CRJ series; Bombardier is working with Transport Canada to separate the CRJ certificate from that of the Challenger.[10]

Closure of the deal was confirmed on 1 June 2020, with Bombardier's service and support activities transferred to a new Montreal-based company, MHI RJ Aviation Group.[11][12] MHI RJ has not renamed the aircraft, and its website refers simply to the CRJ Series.[13][14]

The final Bombardier CRJ to be produced, a CRJ900, finished production and was delivered to SkyWest Airlines on 28 February 2021.[15]

In 2021, Mitsubishi investigated restarting production on the CRJ550, a variant of the CRJ700 limited to 50 passenger seats, similar to the nominal seating capacity of the 100/200 models. Restarting production would involve building a new plant, as the former plant is now making Airbus A220s, and taking the tooling out of storage. However, as of March 2024, Mitsubishi has not pursued a restart.[16][17][18]

Specifications[edit]

Cimber Air CRJ-200
CRJ-700 (top) and CRJ-900 (bottom)
Air Nostrum CRJ-1000

References[edit]

  1. ^ "News". Bombardier. January 24, 2024.
  2. ^ Sylvain Larocque (December 12, 2020). "Une belle page de l'histoire aéronautique québécoise se tourne". Le Journal de Montréal (in French).
  3. ^ "Bombardier CRJ Series Website". Bombardier. April 23, 2019. Archived from the original on June 1, 2020. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  4. ^ Hemmerdinger, Jon (November 15, 2018). "ANALYSIS: Q400 rises with Bombardier's transport aircraft retreat". Flightglobal.com. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  5. ^ Bogaisky, Jeremy. "Bombardier Sells Aging Q400 Turboprop Line, Cutting 5,000 Jobs As It Sharpens Focus on Business Jets". Forbes. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  6. ^ "Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to Acquire Canadair Regional Jet Program from Bombardier Inc" (Press release). Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. June 25, 2019.
  7. ^ Lewis, Peter. "Mitsubishi seeks CRJ-X share." Flight International, 27 April 1996.
  8. ^ "Bombardier gains approval to offer stretched Regional Jet." Flight International, 4 September 1996.
  9. ^ Hemmerdinger, Jon (June 26, 2019). "Bombardier halts CRJ sales amid pending divestiture". Flightglobal.com.
  10. ^ Warwick, Graham (June 27, 2019). "Bombardier Separating CRJ From Challenger Certificate For MHI Sale". aviationweek.com.
  11. ^ "Bombardier Concludes Sale of the CRJ Series Regional Jet Program to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries - Bombardier". www.bombardier.com (Press release). June 1, 2020.
  12. ^ Hemmerdinger, Jon (June 1, 2020). "Mitsubishi closes CRJ acquisition despite SpaceJet uncertainty". Flight Global.
  13. ^ "CRJ Series - Regional Aircraft". mhirj.com. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
  14. ^ "Lufthansa uses Mitsubishi Jets". www.aerotelegraph.com. June 5, 2020. Our product name has not changed. These are still CRJ series aircraft.
  15. ^ Kleps, Kochan (March 1, 2021). "Final Bombardier CRJ Comes off Production Line". Airways Magazine. Archived from the original on August 12, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  16. ^ "Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. confirms no plans to restart MRJ". CH-Aviation. October 19, 2021.
  17. ^ "Mitsubishi Heavy Industries mulls reviving CRJ line". CH-Aviation. July 8, 2021.
  18. ^ Scott Hamilton (July 6, 2021). "Exclusive: Mitsubishi ponders restarting CRJ production". Leeham News and Analysis.
  19. ^ a b "CRJ airport planning manual" (PDF). Bombardier. January 10, 2016.
  20. ^ "CRJ700 Factsheet" (PDF). MHI RJ. 2020.
  21. ^ "CRJ900 Factsheet" (PDF). MHI RJ. 2020.
  22. ^ "CRJ1000 Factsheet" (PDF). MHI RJ. 2020.
  23. ^ a b c "CRJ200 Fact sheet" (PDF). Bombardier. June 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  24. ^ "CRJ700 Airport Planning Manual" (PDF). Bombardier. December 18, 2013.
  25. ^ "CRJ900 Airport Planning Manual" (PDF). Bombardier. December 17, 2015.
  26. ^ "CRJ1000 Airport Planning Manual" (PDF). Bombardier. December 17, 2015.
  27. ^ a b "CRJ Specifications". Bombardier. Archived from the original on January 31, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  28. ^ "DOC 8643 - Aircraft Type Designators". ICAO. Retrieved February 7, 2021.

External links[edit]