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| First SWISS CS100 aircraft prepares for first flight. Photo: Bombardier |
[Avionics Today 06-16-2016] Both the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the FAA have type-certified Bombardier’s first commercial airliner, the C Series CS100 aircraft. EASA’s validation paves the way for the delivery of the first CS100 aircraft to launch operator Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) at the end of June and the aircraft’s entry-into-service in July 2016. The company had originally planned to certify the aircraft in 2015 and enter it into service in the first half of 2016.
The EASA and FAA validations follow the CS100 aircraft Type Certification awarded by Transport Canada in December 2015.
“In the same week that our C Series aircraft surpassed 5,000 flight hours and the first SWISS aircraft readies for its first flight, we are celebrating another very proud moment with the receipt of the CS100 aircraft EASA and FAA Type Validations. I congratulate our teams for all their hard work in delivering these latest significant accomplishments,” said Robert Dewar, vice president of the C Series Program at Bombardier Commercial Aircraft.
The C Series has faced a tougher path through testing and certification as competitors in the large commercial airliner market, namely Airbus, sought to block sales of the new aircraft with the launch of their A320neo. The company received backing from the government of Quebec, however, which allowed it to speed the aircraft to certification through $1 billion in funding in return for a 49.5 percent stake in the Canadian company.