The Bombardier CRJ100 and CRJ200 (previously Canadair CRJ100 and CRJ200) is a
regional jet
A regional jet (RJ) is a jet-powered regional airliner with fewer than 100 seats. The first one was the Sud-Aviation Caravelle in 1959, followed by the widespread Yakovlev Yak-40, Fokker F-28, and BAe 146. The 1990s saw the emergence of th ...
designed and manufactured by
Bombardier Aerospace
Bombardier Aviation is a division of Bombardier Inc. It is headquartered in Dorval, Quebec, Canada. Its most popular aircraft included the Dash 8 Series 400, CRJ100/200/440, and CRJ700/900/1000 lines of regional airliners, and the newer CS ...
between 1991 and 2006, the first of the
Bombardier CRJ
The Bombardier CRJ or CRJ Series (for Canadair Regional Jet) is a family of regional jets introduced in 1991 by Bombardier Aerospace. The CRJ was formerly manufactured by Bombardier Aerospace with the manufacturing of the first CRJ generation, t ...
family.
The ''Canadair Regional Jet'' (CRJ) program, derived from the
Challenger 600
The Bombardier Challenger 600 series is a family of business jets developed by Canadair after a Bill Lear concept, and then produced from 1986 by its new owner, Bombardier Aerospace.
At the end of 1975, Canadair began funding the development ...
business jet, was launched in early 1989. The first CRJ100 prototype made its
maiden flight
The maiden flight, also known as first flight, of an aircraft is the first occasion on which it leaves the ground under its own power. The same term is also used for the first launch of rockets.
The maiden flight of a new aircraft type is alwa ...
on 10 May 1991. Canada's first
jet airliner
A jet airliner or jetliner is an airliner powered by jet engines (passenger jet aircraft). Airliners usually have two or four jet engines; three-engined designs were popular in the 1970s but are less common today. Airliners are commonly cl ...
to enter commercial service was introduced by launch customer
Lufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG (), commonly shortened to Lufthansa, is the flag carrier of Germany. When combined with its subsidiaries, it is the second- largest airline in Europe in terms of passengers carried. Lufthansa is one of the five founding m ...
in 1992.
The 50 seat aircraft is powered by two
GE CF34
The General Electric CF34 is a civilian high-bypass turbofan developed by GE Aircraft Engines from its TF34 military engine. The CF34 is used on a number of business and regional jets, including the Bombardier CRJ series, the Embraer E-Jets ...
turbofans, mounted on the rear fuselage. The CRJ200 has more efficient
turbofan
The turbofan or fanjet is a type of airbreathing jet engine that is widely used in aircraft engine, aircraft propulsion. The word "turbofan" is a portmanteau of "turbine" and "fan": the ''turbo'' portion refers to a gas turbine engine which ac ...
engines for lower fuel consumption, increased cruise altitude and speed.
During the late 1990s, it was stretched into the
CRJ700 series.
Production ended in 2006 but many remain in service. In 2020,
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
is a Japanese multinational engineering, electrical equipment and electronics corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. MHI is one of the core companies of the Mitsubishi Group and its automobile division is the predecessor of Mitsubishi Mo ...
purchased the entire CRJ line from Bombardier, and will continue support for the aircraft.
[
]
Development
Origins
The CRJ family has its origins in the design of the earlier Canadair Challenger business jet. During the late 1970s, the relatively wide fuselage
The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraft t ...
of the Challenger, which could seat a pair of passengers on each side of a central aisle, was observed by some Canadair officials to suggest that it would be somewhat straightforward to produce a stretch of the aircraft for the purpose of accommodating more seats. Accordingly, in 1980, the company publicised its proposal for an expanded model of the aircraft, designated as the ''Challenger 610E'', which would have had seating for an additional 24 passengers. However, such a lengthening did not occur as a result of work on the program being terminated during the following year.
Despite the cancellation of the 610E, neither the concept or general interest in the development of an enlarged derivative had disappeared. During 1987, the year following Canadair's sale to Bombardier, design studies commenced into options for producing a substantially more ambitious stretched configuration of the Challenger.[Eriksson and Steenhuis 2015, p. 57.]
In July 1988, Canadair targeted a $13-14 million unit price, for a demand of over 1,000 by 1999.
The 48-seat jet would be stretched over the Challenger by a forward plug and a aft plug.
Over routes, the faster climb and cruise gave it a one third time advantage to 50 min compared to similarly sized turboprops.
The higher cost per seat of the RJ, of $270,000 each compared to $186,600, would be balanced by its higher productivity.
During the spring of 1989, these investigations directly led to the formal launch of the ''Canadair Regional Jet'' program; it had been decided to retain the "Canadair" name despite the firm's purchase by Bombardier. The program was launched with the aim of selling at least 400 aircraft.
The Regional Jet program benefitted from the support of the Canadian government.[Roberts 2017, p. 109.] Reportedly, the break even
Break-even (or break even), often abbreviated as B/E in finance, (sometimes called point of equilibrium) is the point of balance making neither a profit nor a loss. Any number below the break-even point constitutes a loss while any number above it ...
point for the type was considered to be relatively low amongst its contemporaries; it has been speculated that the bankrupt
Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debt ...
cy and purchase of Learjet by Bombardier during 1990 had allowed for the development costs of the Challenger to be written off, which in turn had the impact of substantially lowering the cost of the Regional Jet program. In addition, the projected operating costs of the budding airliner was lower than some of its turboprop
A turboprop is a turbine engine that drives an aircraft propeller.
A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction gearbox, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propelling nozzle. Air enters the intake and is compressed by the compressor. Fuel ...
-powered rivals, including the Fokker 50
The Fokker 50 is a turboprop-powered airliner, designed as an improved version of the successful Fokker F27 Friendship. The Fokker 60 is a stretched freighter version of the Fokker 50. Both aircraft were manufactured and supported by Dutch airc ...
, the ATR-42
The ATR 42 is a regional airliner produced by Franco-Italian manufacturer ATR, with final assembly in Toulouse, France.
On 4 November 1981, the aircraft was launched with ATR, as a joint venture between French Aérospatiale (now Airbus) and ...
, and the Bombardier Dash 8-300.
On 10 May 1991, the first of three development aircraft for the initial ''CRJ100'' variant performed its first flight from Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, starting a 1,000h flight test program with three prototypes. During the following year, the type was awarded airworthiness certification; on 29 October 1992, initial deliveries to customers occurred later on that year.[Eriksson and Steenhuis 2015, p. 58.] On 26 July 1993, the first prototype (C-FCRJ) was lost in a spin mishap near the Bombardier test center in Wichita, Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
.
Further development
The initial model was followed by the ''CRJ100 ER'' subvariant, featuring 20 percent greater range, and the ''CRJ100 LR'' subvariant, which possessed 40 percent more range than the standard CRJ100. This sub-variant was developed with the purpose of more closely conforming with the requirements of both corporate and executive operators. A cargo
Cargo consists of bulk goods conveyed by water, air, or land. In economics, freight is cargo that is transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. ''Cargo'' was originally a shipload but now covers all types of freight, including trans ...
door retrofit has been developed for the installation of former passenger-configured aircraft to extend the useful life of early-built CRJ100s.
The CRJ200 is almost identical to the earlier CRJ100 model, except for the adoption of more efficient engines; these new engines have been attributed as having provided the CRJ200 with several improvements in performance, such as lower fuel consumption, as well as an increase in cruise altitude and cruise speed. Bombardier had specifically designed the new model to provide better performance and efficiencies than any of its nearest competitors at that time. There is also a CRJ200 freighter version, designated as the ''CRJ200 PF'' (''Package Freighter''), which was developed in cooperation with Cascade Aerospace
Cascade Aerospace Inc. of Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada is a specialty aerospace and defence contractor, focused on providing long-term integrated aircraft support programs for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), military, government ...
on the request of Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...
n operator West Air Sweden
West Air Sweden, operating as West Atlantic, is a cargo airline based in Malmö, Sweden. It operates scheduled and ad hoc freight charter services for FedEx, DHL and UPS. It is also contracted to operate mail flights for different postal servi ...
.
During 1995, Bombardier embarked on design studies and a detailed market evaluation on the topic of producing a substantially enlarged derivative of the CRJ200. These efforts quickly transitioned into a $450 million program to produce such an aircraft, which was produced as the CRJ700
The Bombardier CRJ700, CRJ900, and CRJ1000 are a family of regional jet airliners that were designed and manufactured by Canadian transportation conglomerate Bombardier Inc., Bombardier (formerly Canadair) between 1999 and 2020. Their design wa ...
. Many areas of commonality
In aviation, fleet commonality is the economic and logistic benefits of operating a standardized fleet of aircraft that share common parts, training requirements, or other characteristics.
Different types of commonality
Commonality policies ...
, such as the design of the cockpit, were retained between the CRJ200 and its newer, larger brethren, but various new systems and structures, such as an all-new wing, were incorporated into the design as well. Capable of seating up to 70 passengers, the first of these aircraft was delivered during 2001; the CRJ700 was soon joined by the even larger ''CRJ900'' and ''CRJ1000'' models.
On June 1, 2020, the entire Bombardier CRJ regional airliner family was sold to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
is a Japanese multinational engineering, electrical equipment and electronics corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. MHI is one of the core companies of the Mitsubishi Group and its automobile division is the predecessor of Mitsubishi Mo ...
(MHI), which plans to continue manufacturing spare parts and providing maintenance support.
Design
The Bombardier CRJ100 and CRJ200 are a family of jet-propelled regional airliner
A regional airliner or a feederliner is a small airliner that is designed to fly up to 100 passengers on short-haul flights, usually feeding larger carriers' airline hubs from small markets. This class of airliners is typically flown by the re ...
s, based upon the design of the Challenger CL-600 business jet
A business jet, private jet, or bizjet is a jet aircraft designed for transporting small groups of people. Business jets may be adapted for other roles, such as the evacuation of casualties or express parcel deliveries, and some are used by pub ...
. Roughly, the CL-600 was stretched 5.92 metres (19 feet 5 inches), which was achieved using fuselage plugs fore and aft of the wing, and was matched with the adoption of a reinforced and modified wing, an expanded fuel capacity, improved landing gear
Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for takeoff or landing. For aircraft it is generally needed for both. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, such as the Glenn L. Martin ...
to handle the higher weights, and an additional pair of emergency exit doors. When installed in a typical seating configuration, the CRJ100 would accommodate 50 passengers; while in a maximum configuration, 52 passengers could be accommodated. It was powered by a pair of General Electric CF34-3A1 turbofan
The turbofan or fanjet is a type of airbreathing jet engine that is widely used in aircraft engine, aircraft propulsion. The word "turbofan" is a portmanteau of "turbine" and "fan": the ''turbo'' portion refers to a gas turbine engine which ac ...
engines, each of which was capable of generating up to 41.0 kN (4,180 kgp / 9,220 lbf) of thrust. The CRJ100 featured a Collins
Collins may refer to:
People Surname
Given name
* Collins O. Bright (1917–?), Sierra Leonean diplomat
* Collins Chabane (1960–2015), South African Minister of Public Service and Administration
* Collins Cheboi (born 1987), Kenyan middle- ...
-built ProLine 4 avionics suite, including a weather radar
Weather radar, also called weather surveillance radar (WSR) and Doppler weather radar, is a type of radar used to locate precipitation, calculate its motion, and estimate its type (rain, snow, hail etc.). Modern weather radars are mostly puls ...
.
Operational history
German airline Lufthansa CityLine
Lufthansa CityLine GmbH is a German airline with its headquarters on the grounds of Munich Airport. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lufthansa and maintains hubs at Frankfurt Airport and Munich Airport, from where it operates a dense domestic ...
, a subsidiary of the nations flag carrier
A flag carrier is a transport company, such as an airline or shipping company, that, being locally registered in a given sovereign state, enjoys preferential rights or privileges accorded by the government for international operations.
Hist ...
operator Lufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG (), commonly shortened to Lufthansa, is the flag carrier of Germany. When combined with its subsidiaries, it is the second- largest airline in Europe in terms of passengers carried. Lufthansa is one of the five founding m ...
, served as the launch customer for the CRJ100. Throughout the type's production life, it continued to be a major customer of the CRJ series. During 2001, following Lufthansa's acquisition of 25 per cent of regional airliner Eurowings
Eurowings GmbH is a German low-cost carrier headquartered in Düsseldorf and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group. Founded in 1996, it serves a network of domestic and European destinations and formerly also operated some long-haul ...
, the airline ordered 15 CRJ200s with options for 30 more as part of a strategic move towards fleet commonality with Lufthansa Skyline.
During the airliner's first 100 days of operational service, the CRJ100 performed a total of 1,237 flights, during which it reportedly achieved a 99% dispatch reliability while its fuel economy was reportedly 8% superior to the originally projected figure.[ According to aviation author Dean Roberts, the CRJ100 had benefitted greatly from an industry-wide shift towards hub-and-spoke networks in the ]United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, which had resulted from the Airline Deregulation Act
The Airline Deregulation Act is a 1978 United States federal law that deregulated the airline industry in the United States, removing federal control over such areas as fares, routes, and market entry of new airlines. The Civil Aeronautics Boa ...
of 1978. Considerable demand across the North American market was experienced by both the CRJ100 and the CRJ200. The smaller size of the regional jets meant than, unlike traditional narrowbody
A narrow-body aircraft or single-aisle aircraft is an airliner arranged along a single aisle, permitting up to 6-abreast seating in a cabin less than in width.
In contrast, a wide-body aircraft is a larger airliner usually configured with mult ...
jets, they could be used at the majority of secondary airports and avoid traditional hubs.[Vasigh, Taleghani and Jenkins 2012, p. 90.]
Soon after the entry to service of the longer range CRJ200, the model proved to be a commercial success as well. According to aerospace
Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and astrona ...
publication Flight International
''Flight International'' is a monthly magazine focused on aerospace. Published in the United Kingdom and founded in 1909 as "A Journal devoted to the Interests, Practice, and Progress of Aerial Locomotion and Transport", it is the world's oldes ...
, 1999 was a record year in terms of aircraft deliveries by Bombardier.[Martin, Mark]
"Bombardier forges ahead in Asia-Pacific."
''Flight International'', 23 February 2000. Writing around this time, authors Bijan Vasigh, Reza Taleghani, and Darryl Jenkins declared that "the CRJ program sone of the most successful regional aircraft programs in the world". By the end of 2000, perhaps the most significant operators of the CRJ100 included the American airline Comair, German short-haul operator Lufthansa Cityline
Lufthansa CityLine GmbH is a German airline with its headquarters on the grounds of Munich Airport. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lufthansa and maintains hubs at Frankfurt Airport and Munich Airport, from where it operates a dense domestic ...
, and French regional airline Brit Air
Brit Air (short for Brittany Air International) was a regional airline based at Morlaix Airport in Ploujean, Morlaix, Brittany, France, operating scheduled services as an Air France franchise from Lyon–Saint Exupéry Airport, Paris-Orly A ...
; of its CRJ200 sibling, key operators by this time included Delta Connection
Delta Connection is a regional airline brand name for Delta Air Lines, under which a number of individually owned regional airlines primarily operate short- and medium-haul routes. Mainline major air carriers often use regional airlines to ope ...
, SkyWest Airlines
SkyWest Airlines is an American regional airline headquartered in St. George, Utah, United States. SkyWest is paid to staff, operate and maintain aircraft used on flights that are scheduled, marketed and sold by a partner mainline airline. The ...
, and Independence Air
Independence Air was a low-cost airline, owned by FLYi, Inc., headquartered in the Loudoun Gateway Corporate Center in Dulles, Virginia, United States (near Washington, D.C.) that operated from 1989 until 2006. Its route network focused on the e ...
.[Vasigh, Taleghani and Jenkins 2012, p. 88.]
During early 1999, Bombardier announced the biggest ever order in the company's history; issued by Northwest Airlines
Northwest Airlines Corp. (NWA) was a major American airline founded in 1926 and absorbed into Delta Air Lines, Inc. by a merger. The merger, approved on October 29, 2008, made Delta the largest airline in the world until the American Airlines ...
, it involved a firm order for 54 CRJ200LRs along with options for a further 70 aircraft for $1.3 billion. In response to customer demand, the company stated that it was to increase production at its Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
assembly line from 75 to 90 aircraft per year before the end of the year. By 2001, a total of 516 airliners were reportedly on order, of which 272 had been delivered. To address the backlog of nearly 250 aircraft, Bombardier worked to increase the rate of production from 9.5 regional jets per month to 12.5 regional jets. The boom in regional jets did not exclusively benefit the CRJ series; simultaneously, Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
ian manufacturer and rival firm Embraer
Embraer S.A. () is a Brazilian multinational aerospace manufacturer that produces commercial, military, executive and agricultural aircraft, and provides aeronautical services. It was founded in 1969 in São José dos Campos, São Paulo, where i ...
also worked to increase their output of regional jets.[Hecker and Martin 2001, p. 47.]
For a time, the CRJ series was viewed by Bombardier as a means of entering new markets; around the turn of the century, considerable sales focus to the Asia Pacific
Asia-Pacific (APAC) is the part of the world near the western Pacific Ocean. The Asia-Pacific region varies in area depending on context, but it generally includes East Asia, Russian Far East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and Pacific Is ...
region was implemented, leading to several sales of regional jets to airlines in nations such as China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
and Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. The company's sales strategy was augmented by the availability of financing from the Canadian government, via which means customers of the CRJ would sometimes partially-finance their purchase. In order to appropriately provide services to the diverse customers for the CRJ series, Bombardier invested in a series of support facilities throughout the world.
The American operator Delta Connection
Delta Connection is a regional airline brand name for Delta Air Lines, under which a number of individually owned regional airlines primarily operate short- and medium-haul routes. Mainline major air carriers often use regional airlines to ope ...
was a major source of orders for the CRJ200 early on; during April 2000, it was announced that the airline had placed a $10 billion order for 500 CRJs to meet its needs and its subsidiaries, these were a combination of CRJ200s and CRJ700s. According to Flight International, during early 2000, Delta was operating more regional jets than any other North American airline. By June 2003, the airliner operated a fleet of 223 CRJs and was ordering yet more of the type. Delta's influence on the fortunes of the CRJ program was significant, during late 2004, when Bombardier announced an incoming cut in the type's production rate, amongst the reasons given was a delay in anticipated orders for additional CRJ200s.["Bombardier cuts CRJ output."](_blank)
''Flight International'', 12 October 2004.
A CRJ200ER delivered in 2003 had a $21 million value.
The American holding company
A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own shares of other companies ...
Pinnacle Airlines Corporation
Pinnacle Airlines Corporation was an American holding company headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, and was the parent company of Pinnacle Airlines and Colgan Air until Colgan was closed down in 2012. The company contracted its airlines to fly in ...
operated a fleet of CRJ200s. Outfitted with a 44-seat configuration, designated as the ''CRJ440'', these aircraft had closets in the forward areas of the passenger cabin, though these were later converted to 50 seat airplanes. These modifications were designed to allow operations under their major airline contract "scope clause" which restricted major airlines' connection carriers from operating equipment carrying 50 or more passengers to guard against usurpation of Air Line Pilots Association
The Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA) is the largest pilot union in the world, representing more than 59,000 pilots from 35 U.S. and Canadian airlines. ALPA was founded on 27 July 1931 and is a member of the AFL-CIO and the Canad ...
and Allied Pilots Association
The Allied Pilots Association (APA) is the labor union representing American Airlines pilots. APA was founded in 1963 by a group of American Airlines pilots who broke away from the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). The five founding pilots of ...
pilots' union contract; these scope clauses have been since relaxed when union contracts were re-written between unions and the three remaining U.S. legacy carriers. Similarly, Comair's fleet of 40-seat CRJ200s were sold at a discounted price to discourage Comair from purchasing the less expensive and smaller Embraer 135
The Embraer ERJ family (for Embraer Regional Jet, model names EMB-135, EMB-140 and EMB-145) are regional jets designed and produced by the Brazilian aerospace company Embraer. The family includes the ERJ135 (37 passengers), ERJ140 (44 passenger ...
.
During the middle of the 2000s, Bombardier's commercial aircraft division had incurred persistent operational losses, which motivated management to initiate restructuring and cost-cutting efforts. As such, during 2004, repeated cuts to the production rate of the CRJ100/200 series were announced in conjunction with declining market forecasts, which had the effect of narrowing the division's losses. The company soon adopted a new market strategy, prioritising the newer and larger CRJ700 and its direct derivatives over other products, such as its turboprop range and the older CRJ100 and CRJ200 models that had spawned them. During early 2006, Bombardier terminated its activity on the CRJ program and the production line was closed down; according to Pierre Beaudoin, president and chief operating officer at Bombardier Aerospace, the decision was difficult but necessary for profitability.
While no further CRJ100 or CRJ200 jet liners have been constructed since 2006, over the years since then, various technologies and innovations have been retrofitted onto examples of the type, which have largely remained in commercial service. Some of the operators of the larger versions, such as the CRJ700, have undertaken work to install Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols, based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by radio wave ...
capabilities on board the type; however, to date, no airlines operating the CRJ200/100 had chosen to implement an onboard Wi-Fi compatibility.
By 2013, fuel costs have made smaller 50-seat regional jets uneconomical on many US routes, accelerating the retirement of young CRJ100/200s, and lowering the ERJ-135
The Embraer ERJ family (for Embraer Regional Jet, model names EMB-135, EMB-140 and EMB-145) are regional jets designed and produced by the Brazilian aerospace company Embraer. The family includes the ERJ135 (37 passengers), ERJ140 (44 passenger ...
/145 values. The last aircraft delivered had a value of $22 million, falling to $2 million 13 years later due to their operator concentration in the US.
Airlines are replacing their CRJs with more modern and larger airliners like the Embraer E-Jet
The Embraer E-Jet family is a series of four-abreast narrow-body short- to medium-range twin-engine jet airliners designed and produced by the Brazilian aerospace manufacturer Embraer.
The E-Jet was designed as a complement to the preceding E ...
and Bombardier CRJ700 series
The Bombardier CRJ700, CRJ900, and CRJ1000 are a family of regional jet airliners that were designed and manufactured by Canadian transportation conglomerate Bombardier (formerly Canadair) between 1999 and 2020. Their design was derived from ...
.
Variants
Several models of the CRJ have been produced, ranging in capacity from 40 to 50 passengers. The Regional Jet designations are marketing names and the official designation is CL-600-2B19.
; : The CRJ100 is the original 50-seat version. It is equipped with General Electric
General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...
CF34-3A1 engines.
;CRJ100SF : Passenger-to-freighter conversion of CRJ100.
;CRJ100LR : Long range version of CRJ100. Launch customer: Lufthansa Cityline.
;CRJ100SE : Executive passenger conversion of CRJ100.
; : The CRJ200 is identical to the CRJ100 except for its engines, which were upgraded to the CF34-3B1 model, offering improved efficiency. Launch customer: SkyWest received its first in 1994.
;CRJ200PF : Package freighter version of CRJ200.
;CRJ200LR : Long range version of CRJ200.
;CRJ200SF : Passenger-to-freighter conversion of CRJ200.
;CRJ440 : Designed and certified with 44-seats to meet the needs of some major United States airlines.
; Challenger 800/850 : A business jet variant of the CRJ200.
;CRJ500 : Proposed 50-seat version with wing and cabin improvements based on the CRJ700/900. Cancelled in 2001.
Operators
CRJ100/200 have been ordered and delivered: 226 CRJ100s, 709 CRJ200s and 86 CRJ440s.[ In July 2018, 498 CRJ100/200 were in airline service: 407 in North America, 58 in Europe, 16 in Africa, 16 in Asia Pacific and 1 in the Middle East.
Operators with 10 or more are:
* ]SkyWest Airlines
SkyWest Airlines is an American regional airline headquartered in St. George, Utah, United States. SkyWest is paid to staff, operate and maintain aircraft used on flights that are scheduled, marketed and sold by a partner mainline airline. The ...
(188) – largest operator and CRJ200 launch customer
* Air Wisconsin
Air Wisconsin Airlines is a regional airline based at Appleton International Airport in the town of Greenville, Wisconsin near Appleton. Air Wisconsin originally operated as one of the original United Express partners in 1985, and operated the ...
(65)
* Endeavor Air
Endeavor Air is an American regional airline that operates as Delta Connection for Delta Air Lines. The airline was founded as Express Airlines I in 1985 and was renamed Pinnacle Airlines in 2002. In 2012, Pinnacle's parent company filed for Cha ...
(30)
* RusLine
RusLine (russian: Авиакомпания «РусЛайн», ''Aviakompanija «RusLajn»'') is a regional airline from Russia, which operates mostly domestic regional flights, as well as holiday charters. Its headquarters are located in the Ome ...
(17)
* Línea Aérea Amaszonas
Compañía de Servicios de Transporte Aéreo Amaszonas S.A., usually shortened to Nella Bolivia, is an airline based in Bolivia, headquartered in Santa Cruz de la Sierra with its administrative center in La Paz. It operates scheduled and charte ...
(12, 17 including subsidiaries)
* Jazz Aviation
Jazz Aviation LP, commonly shortened to Jazz, is a Canadian regional airline based at Halifax Stanfield International Airport, in Enfield, Halifax, Nova Scotia, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Chorus Aviation. Jazz Aviation provides regional ...
(10)
* Yamal Airlines
Yamal Airlines (Russian: ОАО "Авиационная транспортная компания "Ямал", ''OAO Aviacionnaja transportnaja kompania "Yamal"'') is an airline based in Salekhard, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Russia. It opera ...
(10)
Accidents and incidents
Accidents with fatalities
* 26 July 1993: Bombardier Aerospace , a prototype Canadair CRJ100, aircraft registration
An aircraft registration is a code unique to a single aircraft, required by Chicago Convention, international convention to be marked on the exterior of every civil aircraft. The registration indicates the aircraft's country of registration, and ...
''C-FCRJ'', crashed in Byers, Kansas
Byers is a city in Pratt County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 38.
History
Byers was founded in 1914. It was named for Otto Phillip Byers.
The first post office in Byers was established in April ...
, after entering a deep stall
In fluid dynamics, a stall is a reduction in the lift coefficient generated by a foil as angle of attack increases.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', p. 486. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. This occurs when t ...
and rolling inverted during a test flight
Flight testing is a branch of aeronautical engineering that develops specialist equipment required for testing aircraft behaviour and systems. Instrumentation systems are developed using proprietary transducers and data acquisition systems. D ...
. Attempting to recover, the copilot deployed the anti-spin parachute but it immediately detached from the aircraft, and the ensuing crash killed all three aircraft occupants: both pilots and a flight test engineer. The accident was attributed to the pilot's unexplained failure to cease a lateral stability test maneuver once the stick shaker
A stick shaker is a mechanical device designed to rapidly and noisily vibrate the control yoke (the "stick") of an aircraft, warning the flight crew that an imminent aerodynamic stall has been detected. It is typically present on the majority of ...
actuated, and the crew's failure to correctly configure the anti-spin chute system earlier in the flight. A contributing factor was improper design of the chute system, which allowed the chute to deploy while the retaining hooks were unlocked.
* 22 June 2003: Air France Flight 5672
Brit Air Flight 5672 (AF5672) was a commercial flight, domestic passenger flight from Nantes Atlantique Airport to Brest Bretagne Airport, Brest-Guipavas Airport, France, which crashed on 22 June 2003. The flight was a Bombardier CRJ200, Bombard ...
, a CRJ100ER, crashed short and to the left of the runway when attempting to land at Brest-Guipavas Airport. The aircraft's captain was the sole fatality.
* 14 October 2004: Pinnacle Airlines Flight 3701
On October 14, 2004, Pinnacle Airlines Flight 3701 (ICAO: FLG3701, IATA: 9E3701, or Flagship 3701) crashed near Jefferson City, Missouri, while flying from Little Rock National Airport to Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport. Flight 3 ...
, a CRJ200, crashed on a repositioning flight
Ferry flying is the flying of aircraft for the purpose of returning to base, delivery to a customer, moving from one base of operations to another or moving to or from a maintenance facility for maintenance, repair, and operations.
A commercial ...
from Little Rock National Airport
Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport , also known as Adams Field, is a joint civil-military airport on the east side of Little Rock, Arkansas.. Federal Aviation Administration. effective December 30, 2021. It is operated by the Little Rock ...
to Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport after the pilots attempted to climb to the aircraft's published service ceiling
With respect to aircraft performance, a ceiling is the maximum density altitude an aircraft can reach under a set of conditions, as determined by its flight envelope.
Service ceiling
Service ceiling is where the rate of climb drops below a pres ...
, exceeding the aircraft's capabilities for the existing conditions and resulting in the flameout
In aviation, a flameout (or flame-out) is the run-down of a jet engine or other turbine engine due to the extinction of the flame in its combustor. The loss of flame can have a variety of causes, such as fuel starvation, excessive altitude, comp ...
and possible core lock
Core lock is a jet engine failure that can happen to aircraft in flight. When an engine is shut down in flight, the design of the engine causes some parts to cool quicker than others. Since materials change sizes in different temperatures, this hap ...
of both engines. The aircraft crashed near Jefferson City Memorial Airport
Jefferson City Memorial Airport is two miles (3 km) northeast of Jefferson City, in Callaway County, Missouri. It is owned by the City of Jefferson City.
Ozark DC-3s and M404s stopped there from 1954 until Columbia Regional Airport opened ...
in Missouri during the ensuing emergency landing attempt, killing both pilots.
* 21 November 2004: China Eastern Flight 5210
China Eastern Airlines Flight 5210 (CES5210/MU5210), also known as the Baotou Air Disaster, was a flight from Baotou Erliban Airport in Inner Mongolia, China, to Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, with a planned stopover at Beijing Capita ...
, a CRJ200LR, crashed shortly after takeoff from Baotou Donghe Airport
Baotou Donghe Airport is an airport serving the city of Baotou in Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Its border includes most of the le ...
in Inner Mongolia, killing all 53 on board and two on the ground.
* 27 August 2006: Comair Flight 5191
Comair Flight 5191 (marketed as Delta Connection Flight 5191 under a codeshare agreement with Delta Air Lines) was a scheduled United States domestic passenger flight from Lexington, Kentucky, to Atlanta, Georgia. On the morning of August 27, 2006, ...
, marketed as Delta Connection
Delta Connection is a regional airline brand name for Delta Air Lines, under which a number of individually owned regional airlines primarily operate short- and medium-haul routes. Mainline major air carriers often use regional airlines to ope ...
Flight 5191, a CRJ100ER, crashed during takeoff from the wrong runway at Blue Grass Airport
Blue Grass Airport is a public airport in Fayette County, Kentucky, United States, 6 miles west of downtown Lexington. Located among horse farms and situated directly across from Keeneland Race Course, Blue Grass Airport is the primary airport ...
in Lexington, Kentucky. There were 49 fatalities, with only the severely injured first officer surviving.
* 12 November 2009: RwandAir Flight 205
RwandAir Flight 205 was a Canadair CRJ100 that crashed into the Terminal Building after an emergency landing at Kigali, Rwanda killing one passenger. The flight was operated by JetLink Express on behalf of RwandAir. In the aftermath of the acci ...
, a CRJ100, crashed into a VIP terminal shortly after an emergency landing at Kigali International Airport
Kigali International Airport , formerly known as Kanombe International Airport, is the primary airport serving Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. Currently, there is an ongoing project to build another mega-airport in Bugesera District, Eastern P ...
in Rwanda; out of the ten passengers and five crew members, one passenger died.
* 4 April 2011: a Georgian Airways
Georgian Airways ( ka, ჯორჯიან ეარვეისი), formerly Airzena, is the privately owned flag carrier of Georgia, with its headquarters in Tbilisi. Its main base is Tbilisi International Airport.Flight International 3 Ap ...
CRJ100ER on a UN mission crashed in bad weather at N'djili Airport
N'djili Airport (french: Aéroport de N'djili ), also known as N'Djili International Airport and Kinshasa International Airport, serves the city of Kinshasa and is the largest of the four international airports in the Democratic Republic of th ...
in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, breaking into pieces and catching fire. Of the 29 passengers and 4 crew, only one person survived.
* 29 January 2013: SCAT Airlines Flight 760
SCAT Airlines Flight 760 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Kokshetau to Almaty, Kazakhstan, operated by a Bombardier CRJ200 twinjet that on 29 January 2013 crashed in thick fog near the village of Kyzyltu, while on approach to Alm ...
crashed short of Almaty International Airport
Almaty International Airport ( kk, Halyqaralyq Almaty Äuejaiy) is a major international airport northeast of Almaty, the largest city and commercial capital of Kazakhstan. It is the busiest airport in Kazakhstan, accounting for 6.42 million ...
near the village of Kyzyltu, Kazakhstan, while attempting to land in bad weather. 16 passengers and 5 crew died.
* 8 January 2016: West Air Sweden Flight 294
West Air Sweden Flight 294 was a cargo flight of a Canadair CRJ200 from Oslo to Tromsø, Norway that crashed on 8 January 2016. A malfunction in one of the inertial reference units had produced erroneous attitude indications on one of the instrume ...
, a CRJ200-PF cargo flight en route to Tromsø, Norway, crashed in a remote area of northern Sweden after the pilots lost control while attempting to react to incorrect attitude information provided by malfunctioning equipment. The two pilots, the only occupants of the aircraft, were killed.
Hull losses
* 16 December 1997: Air Canada Flight 646
Air Canada Flight 646 was a flight from Toronto's Lester B. Pearson International Airport to Fredericton, New Brunswick, operated by Air Canada. On December 16, 1997, at 23:48 local time, the Canadair CRJ100ER (CL-65) jet crashed after a fail ...
, a CRJ100, crashed during a go-around
In aviation, a go-around is an aborted landing of an aircraft that is on final approach or has already touched down. A go-around can either be initiated by the pilot flying or requested by air traffic control for various reasons, such as an unstab ...
at Greater Fredericton Airport in Fredericton, New Brunswick. The aircraft was destroyed but no fatalities were reported.
* 20 May 2007: an Air Canada Jazz
The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...
Bombardier CRJ100 operating as Flight 8911, ''C-FRIL'', was damaged beyond repair when its landing gear collapsed at Toronto-Pearson International Airport
Lester B. Pearson International Airport , commonly known as Toronto Pearson International Airport, is an international airport located in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. It is the main airport serving Toronto, its metropolitan area, and the sur ...
. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB, french: Bureau de la sécurité des transports du Canada, BST), officially the Canadian Transportation Accident Investigation and Safety Board (french: link=no, Bureau canadien d'enquête sur les ...
(TSB) found that the inexperienced first officer mishandled the first touchdown and caused the aircraft to bounce, and as the captain initiated a second touchdown while still over the runway, the jet's automated ground lift dump (GLD) system—triggered by the first touchdown, the idle thrust setting, and the very low altitude—fully deployed the spoilers, causing a hard landing
A hard landing occurs when an aircraft or spacecraft hits the ground with a greater vertical speed and force than in a normal landing.
Landing is the final phase in flight, in which the aircraft returns to the ground. The average vertical sp ...
that broke both main landing gear trunnions. The pilots were able to maintain directional control and stop the aircraft safely; there were no injuries to the crew, while some passengers suffered minor injuries. The TSB attributed the accident to pilot error
Pilot error generally refers to an Aviation accidents and incidents, accident in which an action or decision made by the Aircraft pilot#Airline, pilot was the cause or a contributing factor that led to the accident, but also includes the pi ...
, faulting the pilots for not initiating a go-around, with improper landing gear maintenance being a contributing factor. The TSB recommended that operators better inform CRJ pilots of the dangers of inadvertent GLD actuation and the resultant importance of initiating a go-around after a bounced touchdown.
* 13 February 2008: Belavia Flight 1834
Belavia Flight 1834 was a scheduled international passenger flight from Yerevan, Armenia, to Minsk, Belarus, operated by Belavia. On the morning of February 14, 2008, the Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet carrying 18 passengers and three crew cr ...
, a CRJ100LR, flipped over during takeoff at Zvartnots International Airport
Zvartnots International Airport ( hy, Զվարթնոց միջազգային օդանավակայան, translit=Zvart'nots' mijazgayin ōdanavakayan) is located near Zvartnots, west of Yerevan, the capital city of Armenia. It acts as the main ...
in Yerevan, Armenia, and burned out. Most passengers suffered minor burns and four were taken to the hospital; no fatalities were reported.
* 17 July 2012: a suspended SkyWest Airlines pilot, under investigation by police for the recent fatal stabbing of a woman at his Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...
residence, stole a SkyWest CRJ200 at St. George Regional Airport
St. George Regional Airport is a city-owned airport in St. George, Washington County, Utah.
The airport opened on January 13, 2011, a replacement for smaller land-locked St. George Municipal Airport, atop a mesa in the city, which was declare ...
in Utah. After apparently scaling the airport perimeter fence, the man started the aircraft and attempted to taxi from the gate, but clipped a jet bridge
A jet bridge (also termed jetway, jetwalk, airgate, gangway, aerobridge/airbridge, skybridge, finger, airtube, expedited suspended passenger entry system (E-SPES), or its official industry name passenger boarding bridge (PBB)) is an enclosed, ...
and the terminal building, damaging the left wing and causing a fuel leak; he then taxied the aircraft through a fence and into a parking lot, striking several parked cars and fatally shot himself in the aircraft aisle. The stolen aircraft, Canadair CRJ200ER ''N865AS'', was damaged beyond repair and written off.
Specifications
See also
References
Citations
Bibliography
* Eriksson, Sören and Harm-Jan Steenhuis. ''The Global Commercial Aviation Industry''. Routledge, 2015. .
* Hecker, Jayetta Z. and Steven C. Martin. ''Aviation Competition: Regional Jet Service Yet to Reach Many Small Communities''. DIANE Publishing, 2001.
* Jackson, Paul. ''Jane's All The World's Aircraft 2003–2004''. Coulsdon, UK: Jane's Information Group, 2003. .
* Roberts, Dean C. ''Entering the Civil Aircraft Industry''. Dog Ear Publishing, 2017. .
* Vasigh, Bijan., Reza Taleghani and Darryl Jenkins. ''Aircraft Finance: Strategies for Managing Capital Costs in a Turbulent Industry.'' J. Ross Publishing, 2012.
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bombardier Crj200
1990s Canadian airliners
CRJ200
The Bombardier CRJ100 and CRJ200 (previously Canadair CRJ100 and CRJ200) is a regional jet designed and manufactured by Bombardier Aerospace between 1991 and 2006, the first of the Bombardier CRJ family.
The ''Canadair Regional Jet'' (CRJ) pro ...
Twinjets
T-tail aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1991