First 70-Seat Regional Jet in Asia With Delivery to China's
Shandong Airlines
Bombardier's lengthy
CRJ700 will be the first 70-seat regional jet in the Asia/Pacific
region with the recent delivery of two Bombardier CRJ700 aircraft
to Shandong Airlines of The People's Republic of China. Shandong
Airlines, based at Jinan in Shandong Province, currently operates
ten 50-passenger Bombardier CRJ200 regional jets, five of which
were acquired from Bombardier and five of which are leased from
General Electric Capital Aviation Services (GECAS). The Bombardier
CRJ700 represents the first 70-seat regional jet to be certified by
Chinese Aviation Authorities for operation in China.
"We believe the CRJ700 with its low seat-mile costs, will help
us achieve our financial objectives," said Yu Haitian, vice
president, Shandong Airlines.
"We are pleased that Shandong Airlines will be showcasing the
Bombardier CRJ700 in China," said Steven A. Ridolfi, president,
Bombardier Aerospace, Regional Aircraft. "With its excellent
seat-mile operating economics, long range and proven performance
demonstrated by 113 Bombardier CRJ700 aircraft already in operation
throughout North America and Europe, we are confident that the
CRJ700 will set the standards for regional jets in this expanding
marketplace."
There are 35 Bombardier Aerospace corporate and commercial
aircraft operating in China. With 28 Bombardier CRJ twin-jet
airliners and three Bombardier Q400 70-seat turboprops currently in
service, Bombardier is the largest supplier of regional aircraft to
the Chinese market, helping airlines and government develop a
network of regional airline markets linking smaller communities
with each other and with major hubs. China Yunnan Airlines of
Kunming operates six CRJ200s; Shandong Airlines operates ten
CRJ200s and, with the recent delivery, two CRJ700 jets; and
Shanghai Airlines of Shanghai has three CRJ200 aircraft. China
United Airlines and China Ocean Aviation, both of Beijing, operate
seven Bombardier Challenger 800 aircraft, which are corporate
versions of the CRJ200. Chang An Airlines (Hainan Group), has three
70-seat Q400 turboprop airliners.
In addition, Shandong Airlines and Bombardier jointly own and
operate China's first regional jet training facility, Qingdao Fei
Sheng International Aviation Technology Development Corporation
Ltd. (QFS) in Qingdao. The facility, which opened in April 2002, is
equipped with a CAE Inc. CRJ200 Level "D" full flight simulator.
Bombardier Aerospace also operates a spare parts depot in Beijing
for regional aircraft customers.