Garuda Indonesia to acquire up to 36 CRJ1000 NextGens

Bombardier Aerospace and Garuda Indonesia (GA) said Wednesday the carrier has committed to up to 36 Bombardier CRJ1000 NextGens to support its domestic and regional operations from its Makassar, Medan and Balikpapan hubs.

The deal includes a firm order for 18 aircraft and options for a further 18, GA president and CEO Emirsyah Satar said at a press conference at the Singapore Airshow. Of the 18 firm orders, six will be purchased directly by GA and 12 will be acquired by the Scandinavian lessor Nordic Aviation Capital, he said.

The firm order for six CRJ1000 NextGen regional jets and 18 options was announced by Bombardier from an unidentified customer . The order, valued at approximately $297 million, could increase to approximately $1.32 billion if all 18 options are exercised, Bombardier said.

“The Bombardier CRJ1000 NextGen airliner’s superior economics, outstanding fuel economy and excellent passenger comfort ideally meet our requirement for 100-seat aircraft to service domestic and regional markets from five regional hubs,” Satar said. He told the aircraft will be configured in a two-class layout and will be an integral part of GA’s full-service approach and network.

The first CRJ1000 is expected to be delivered in October and five aircraft should join the GA fleet this year; a further 12 will be delivered in 2013.

Bombardier Commercial Aircraft president Mike Arcamone said the “CRJ1000 NextGen regional jet continues to perform beyond expectations with its current operators, and we are thrilled to welcome Garuda Indonesia as the aircraft’s launch customer in the Asia/Pacific region.” 

Including the order from GA, more than 300 CSeries, CRJ and Q-Series aircraft are on order or are operating in the Asia/Pacific region, Bombardier said. It forecasts the Asia/Pacific region (including China) will take delivery of approximately 4,000 aircraft in the 20- to 149-seat category over the next 20 years.

Bombardier said it has recorded firm orders for 1,715 CRJ Series aircraft.

Article Source : ATW Daily News