Bombardier expects to begin delivering CSeries aircraft to Delta Air Lines this year, saying there is no longer any restriction to delivering the CS100 straight from its Canadian assembly line to the Atlanta-based airline.
“Clearly, the Delta aircraft are in the skyline for 2018,” Bombardier CEO Alain Bellemare told analysts February. 15th. The recent 4-0 decision by the US International Trade Commission (ITC) canceling proposed tariffs on CSeries exports to the US removes any restrictions on CSeries deliveries.
The uncertainty surrounding the US Commerce Department’s intended duties on the CSeries forced Bombardier and Delta to postpone the originally planned April 2018 start of CS100 deliveries to Delta, which has 75 CS100s on firm order.
Bellemare emphasized that plans for the Alabama, facility, are “moving full speed ahead,” explaining, “We believe it’s the right strategy to have a US facility to serve US customers.” But at least the first number of Delta deliveries can now come from Canada, he said.
Bellemare expects the Bombardier-Airbus CSeries deal to be approved by regulators later this year. “Integration planning is going extremely well,” he said. “We are ready to hit the ground running once we close, including construction of the Alabama facility as soon as possible. 2018 will be a pivotal year for Bombardier,” he said, forecasting that the company will move into “a strong growth phase” this year.
