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90-SEAT REGIONAL JETS: BOMBARDIER ENTERS THE FRAY

The market for 30 to 70-seater regional jets is saturated for now. There are the models manufactured by Bombardier (RJ, RJ700), Embraer (EMB-135/-145) and Fairchild Aerospace (328Jet). Now the manufacturers are going for the upper segment of the regional aircraft market.

One is trying to take advantage of a favourable situation: Avro, now known again as British Aerospace Regional Aircraft, seems to have stretched its customer's tolerance to the limit. The AlliedSignal LF507 engines of the Avro RJ85 and 100 remain unreliable and by this cause immense maintenance costs for their Operator. The Boeing 717 does not have these problems, because there are no customers for the plane and the Brazilian Embraer has only recently invested in the new EMB-135.

Only Airbus and Fairchild have new concepts. The market strategists of the Canadian manufacturer Bombardier will have thought that this must be the ideal moment to introduce a new product. This is why there is a new 90 seater in Bombardier's program. The "BRJ-X" will probably be on sale by the year 2003.

With a maximum take-off weight of almost exactly 100,000 lbs (45,300 kg), Bombardier's first airliner will, as previously mentioned, transport 90 passengers. The plane will be powered by two turbo fans with 20,000 lbs thrust. Under consideration are the PW6000, which was chosen for the A318, the CFM56-9, which is technologically sound and the BMW Rolls Royce BR715, which powers the Boeing 717. Through the Global Express Program Bombardier has already forged business connections with the German engine manufacturer. Whether this will increase the chances for the Dahlewitz engine specialists to get the contract remains to be seen. Supplying engines for another airliner would secure BMW Rolls Royce's survival. Currently the company (on the civil side) only supplies two business jets - the Global Express and the Gulfstream GV. The application in the 717 raises little hope so that a contract for the BRJ would be most welcome.

Just like the two big aircraft constructors, Airbus and Boeing, Bombardier estimates that over the next 20 years there is market potential of over 2,000 units for 80 to 100 seaters. Why? It is a simple matter of adding up: If the capacity of today's 50 seater regional jets was maintained, their number would have to be quadrupled, to cope with the growth rate expected in international aviation by 2017. The airspace would simply not be able to take this onslaught. This is why the capacity of the aircraft has to be increased in regional aviation, as was foreseeable for the Wide-Body-Airliner-Segment, in order to absorb the explosion in traffic.

As far as the operating cost structure is concerned Bombardier intends to place the new aircraft clearly below current types like the 737-600 or A319 wich in fact are too large for the demand profile. And of course the canadian marketing experts are confident that a 717 or A318 obviously will not be a patch on the new product made in Montreal.

Before the program can be started officially, there is to be a pre-development phase. The final decision will be made in one year. The company estimates the development costs at around one billion Canadian dollars. The partners involved in the program will share the costs. The Global Express Program serves as a model. With similar investment Bombardier contributed around 45 per cent of the cost, the participating partner companies, i.e. BMW Rolls Royce financed the remaining sum. Bombardier Boss Laurent Beaudoin is confident, " We have established a revolutionary design in the market place with the 50 seater RJ. Now we have started constructing the 70 seater version, the RJ700, which is just as promising, and we will continue our extremely positive development in aircraft construction with the BRJ-X."

Fairchild-Aerospace-Boss Carl Albert shares this opinion. Just not with regard to the BRJ-X, but to his own new production family, the 528JET, the 728JET and the 928JET. In Farnborough the Texan/Bavarian Company introduced the team of its program partners. The engine fitted to the basic model, the 728JET, will be the CF34-8D by General Electric; it has proved its reliability and has shown outstanding running characteristics.The Primus Epic System from Honeywell, inclusive of liquid crystal flat screens, is the chosen Avionics package.

APU and the air conditioning are manufactured by AlliedSignal. The APU RE220FD will supply pressurised air for the air conditioning, the engine start and the running of a transformer. It will work at all speeds and altitudes.

The entire system for the undercarriage (inclusive of nose-wheel steering), undercarriage hydraulics, wheels, tyres and the fuel system, as well as all the relevant steering systems and controls are supplied by BFGoodrich.The fly-by-wire-system is made by Lucas Aerospace.

Sundstrand Aerospace will supply an electric system for the entire power supply. This includes all generators and the on-board-net-supply, as well as reserve and emergency power systems. The steering hydraulics, two independent systems and an emergency system are provided by Parker Aerospace.

During the ILA in Berlin the Fairchild-Jet-Family was introduced and it is planned that the 78 seater 728JET will be available in the year 2001. A 63seat 528JET and a 928JET with 98 seats shall follow in this order. Potential first customers and program advisers Lufthansa CityLine and Crossair have each expressed an interest in 60 aircraft.

Shortly before the Air Show, Fairchild announced that the cabin width of the 728 was to be reduced from 3.40 to 3.25 meters. This happened on Lufthansa's advice. One advantage is a reduction of 450 kg in the aircraft's empty weight, which results in a slight saving on fuel consumption and keeps running-costs low. The main reason is said to be the German carrier's wish to make it impossible for low-cost carriers to fit the cabin with six instead of five abreast seating as planned by the LH. Crossair would have preferred to stick to the original cabin width to secure customer comfort.

Yet the decision-makers at Fairchild of course are certain that the new Jet from Oberpfaffenhofen and San Antonio will offer its passengers outstanding comfort despite this alteration. Let's wait and see.

The company Rekkof caused somewhat of a curiosity in Farnborough. What hides behind the funny name can only be understood by reading it backwards: Fokker. A small group of private investors indeed plans to re-start aircraft production of the Dutch company which went into bankruptcy in 1996. It is planned to produce up to 24 aircraft per year. A Swiss trust foundation is supposed to guarantee the financial security of this business venture. According to the company there are currently orders for 20 Fokker 70 and Fokker 100. The customers were to be from the traditional circle of Fokker operators. Yet, the Rekkof executives do not quite believe that it will be possible to gain orders from new customers. Managing Director Jaap Jakobson told the press that the residual value can not be estimated. But why then take all the effort?

From page 15 of FLUG REVUE 11/98