Bombardier takes stand against network planners

Bombardier is taking advantage of being the only aircraft manufacturer exhibiting at Routes to gain a unique insight into the needs of potential customers.

The Canadian airframer is promoting its commercial line-up, headed by its flagship CSeries narrowbody and its regional products, the CRJ and Q400 families.

“Routes is unique in that it’s a get-together of the planners and strategists from airlines and airports worldwide, and in the business-planning process those people tend to be well upstream of the fleet decisions,” said Philippe Poutissou, vice-president marketing at Bombardier Commercial Aircraft.

“But given that we’re bringing some fairly unique aircraft to the market, it’s important to make them understand how their business model can take advantage of them to develop their airlines,” he added.

Bombardier is becoming a regular at Routes events, and Poutissou said the company finds attending the regional gatherings particularly useful.

“The regional Routes give us a great opportunity to access some of the smaller carriers that tend to use our regional aircraft,” he said.

Bombardier is extolling the virtues of its all-new CSeries, due to fly next year and enter service in 2013, as it tries to get its message across to delegates about new route opportunities the Pratt & Whitney PW1000G gear-turbofan-powered airliner could offer.

“The CSeries brings a seriously improved value proposition to that 100-150 seat market that, today, is quite challenging for the airlines,” Poutissou said.

“The airlines are interested in going after opportunities where their existing A320s or 737s are too big.”

The “opportunities” Bombardier has identified include “upgauging” from regional aircraft, and secondary markets.

“Going into secondary markets that larger carriers can’t access because they don’t have the equipment or the operating costs to make those routes profitable,” Poutissou explained.

The CSeries has accumulated 133 firm orders from eight customers, five of which have been revealed, including Lufthansa.

Poutissou said that while the airframer could reveal additional CSeries deals at the Dubai air show next month, it is not the policy to align order announcements with industry gatherings.

“If it turns out that we have news to make, then we’ll make it,” he added.