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[ COMMERCIAL AVIATION ]

In Transition

THE REGIONAL AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY IS GOING Atul Chandra
THROUGH A PERIOD OF FLUX

The Regional Transport Aircraft (RTA) market has remained aerospace assets into a single business unit
subdued over the past few years and unlike the single-aisle and called Bombardier Aviation with the focus on
twin-aisle market segments which have seen giant leaps in tech- its Global, Challenger, Learjet business jets,
nology, the RTA segment has yet to see the entrance of a market leaving only the CRJ regional jet as its sole
disruptor. According to, ‘The Market for Regional Transport Aircraft commercial aircraft programme.
2018-2020’ by Forecast International, sustained growth in the
regional aircraft market is not expected to get underway until the It is clear that the costly Bombardier C Series
2022-2023 timeframe. single-aisle jetliner programme, has cost the air-
framer its place in commercial aviation for the
The yearly output from the various RTA manufacturers since 2015 foreseeable future and highlights the perils of
has been under 350 units. Forecast International projects that a clean sheet aircraft design. Longview will now
3,608 regional aircraft will be produced from 2017 through 2026. take-over aftermarket services for Q Series
Calculated in constant 2017 U.S. dollars, the value of this production aircraft and will continue production of Dash
is estimated at US$132.8 billion. 8 and Q400 aircraft from the Downsview site
in Toronto under land lease agreements which
These totals generally include production of jet-powered and extend until 2023. Longview acquired the entire
turboprop-powered regional transport aircraft types for civil use. Dash 8 programme including the 100, 200 and
Forecast International for its evaluation and analysis; divided the 300 series and the in-production Q400 pro-
regional aircraft market into five seating classes, ranging from the gramme from Bombardier Inc. The Dash 8 joins
19-and-under passenger class to the 76-130 passenger category. Longview’s other aircraft programmes, such as
the Twin Otter, DHC-1 through DHC-7 series, as
Down for the Count well as the former Canadair CL-215, CL-215T,
One airframer that is essentially out of the RTA fray is Canada’s and CL-415 waterbomber aircraft.
Bombardier, which concluded its sale of the Q Series aircraft
programme assets in June, to De Havilland Aircraft of Canada It is uncertain as to how long, Bombardier
Limited (formerly Longview Aircraft Company of Canada Limited), Aviation will retain the CRJ programme but
an affiliate of Longview Aviation Capital Corp. Bombardier will be in February it announced the launch of the
left with US$250 million from the sale, after factoring in liabilities, CRJ550. This new CRJ Series aircraft model,
fees, and closing adjustments. Bombardier will now consolidate its with a new type certificate based on the

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