Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier Aerospace announced today that the prototype CRJ1000 NextGen jetliner, serial number 19991, made its successful inaugural flight from the Bombardier facility at Mirabel, Quebec. The aircraft is a modification of the preceding CRJ900 prototype.

The flight, crewed by pilots Jacques Thibaudeau and Chuck Ellis and flight test engineer Eugene Lardizabal took off at 10:02 a.m. EDT and lasted three hours and 25 minutes. It reached an altitude of 30,000 feet (9,144 m) and a maximum speed of 260 knots (481 km/h).

"We put the gear up, operated the flaps and slats and exercised our new 'Fly-by-Wire' rudder," said Thibaudeau. "All systems worked as they were designed to do. The aircraft handled similarly to the smaller CRJ900 airliner so flight crews will have no problem in transitioning to the 100-seat CRJ1000 NextGen aircraft."

"A first flight is an important milestone in the development of a new aircraft such as the CRJ1000 NextGen regional jet," said Jean-Guy Blondin, Director CRJ Programs, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. "We are very satisfied with the readiness of our prototype which is embarking on its journey to Type Certification, thanks to the dedicated work of our suppliers and employees."

"The Wichita flight test team, supported by our product development team will be following a disciplined approach to flight testing and remain on schedule for subsequent milestones before our 100-seat aircraft enters commercial service in the fourth quarter of 2009," said David Tidd, Director CRJ1000 Product Development Team, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft.

Bombardier is a world leader in the manufacture of business jets, where it leads the world by the value of deliveries, and of regional commercial jets. The CSeries marks an ambitious gamble by the company, in that it is trying field an aircraft that in terms of its capacity will, for the first time, encroach upon the territory of the two commercial aircraft-manufacturing giants, Boeing and Airbus.

The 110-130-seat capacity of the CSeries will easily match the Airbus 318's 109-seat capacity, as well as the Boeing 737-600's 110-132-seat capacity. A larger variant will even offer 145 seats in a packed all-economy configuration. The products have already seen considerable interest from major airlines around the world. (See: Farnborough Air Show: Bombardier launches CSeries with Lufthansa as launch customer and Air France actively considering Bombardier's new CSeries jets)

Compared to the older legacy aircraft, the CSeries will also represent a technology leap. They will be powered by new-generation geared turbofan engines from Pratt & Whitney that are expected to cut fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions by around 20 per cent and also slash operating costs by 15 per cent, as compared to similar-sized existing aircraft.

Following a few more flights from Mirabel, the prototype CRJ1000 NextGen jet will be flown to the Bombardier Flight Test Center in Wichita, Kansas where, next year, it will be joined by the first production CRJ1000 NextGen airliner to prepare for entry into service and review by the Flight Operations Evaluation Board composed of pilots from Transport Canada, the Federal Aviation Administration and the European Aviation Safety Agency. The 100-seater is due to enter commercial service in the fourth quarter of 2009.

"With up to 15 per cent reduction in aircraft operating costs against its closest competitor, the CRJ1000 NextGen aircraft is the optimized solution in the regional airline industry for medium-haul application," said Gary R Scott, President, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. "Airline passengers want increased comfort and more non-stop flights. Airlines need better fuel efficiency, lower maintenance costs and dependable performance. The CRJ1000 NextGen airliner delivers it all."

The CRJ1000 NextGen aircraft program has attracted a total of 63 firm orders, conditional orders and options, from four airlines. Brit Air (a subsidiary of Air France) has ordered eight aircraft and holds options on an additional eight. Myair.com in Italy ordered 15 aircraft, converting an earlier order for 15 CRJ900 jets to the CRJ1000 NextGen aircraft. Adria Airways of Slovenia has ordered one aircraft, and also holds one option. An undisclosed customer has ordered 15 CRJ1000 NextGen aircraft, with a conditional order for 15.

Bombardier Inc. is a Canadian conglomerate, founded by Joseph-Armand Bombardier as L'Auto-Neige Bombardier Limitée in 1942, at Valcourt in the Eastern Townships, Quebec. Over the years it has been a large manufacturer of regional aircraft, business jets, mass transportation equipment, recreational equipment and a financial services provider.

Bombardier is a Fortune Global 500 conglomerate company. Its headquarters are in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. With an employee count of 59,760, the company declared annual revenues of $17.5 billion last year.