Bombardier received a major boost Thursday from Delta Air Lines, which has placed a firm order for 75 CS100 aircraft with options for an additional 50 more in what would be the largest order for the Montreal company's troubled CSeries passenger jet program.
Based on the list price, the firm order is valued at approximately US$5.6 billion, Bombardier said. Delivery of the aircraft to Delta, one of the largest airlines in the world, is expected to begin in 2018.
"This is a big win,'' Bombardier CEO Alain Bellemare said during a conference call.
Bombardier (TSX:BBD.B) has been at the centre of political controversy in recent months and it's banking on the success of its CSeries planes to revive its flagging fortunes.
Alain Bellemare, left, president and CEO of Bombardier Inc., and Ed Bastian, right, CEO of Delta Air Lines, shake hands in front of a Delta-branded Bombardier C-Series jet in Mirabel, Que., on Thursday. (Photo: Ryan Remiorz/Canadian Press)
