Bombardier Aerospace announced last week that Macedonian Airlines (MAT), the designated flag carrier of Macedonia, took delivery of a Bombardier CRJ900 regional jet on April 13, 2006.

In addition to this firm-ordered aircraft, the contract with MAT also includes conditional orders for two additional CRJ900 airliners. The list price value for the delivered aircraft is approximately $35 million US.

"We have several reasons for selecting the Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft," said Zivko Gruevski, Chairman of the MAT Shareholders' Assembly. "Its operating economics are far better than those of its competition. Its weight means that we will have lower weight-related costs in Europe. And we are very comfortable with the fact that Adria Airways in nearby Slovenia is the Bombardier CRJ Recognized Service Facility for Europe and knows the CRJ Series very well."

"We are very pleased that another European airline has chosen the CRJ900 as the right aircraft for their requirements," said Steven Ridolfi, President, Bombardier Regional Aircraft.

Macedonian Airlines, which was formed in 1994, links Skopje with several major European centres. The 86-seat MAT CRJ900 aircraft will replace a Boeing 737 and Fokker 100 at the airline. The airline will offer a dual-class configuration with moveable cabin dividers that will allow them to re-configure the cabin to meet demand.

Macedonian Airlines joins 17 other customers that have placed firm orders for a total of 367 CRJ700, CRJ705 and CRJ900 airliners.

FMI: www.bombardier.com, www.mat.com.mk/index.htm