Bombardier CSeries: Pictures from the factory floor
CBC News | Posted: December 19, 2015 12:00 AM | Last Updated: December 19, 2015
The CS100 is expected to enter into service with Lufthansa in mid-2016
After years of delays and cost overruns, Bombardier's next-generation airliner, the CSeries CS100, has received certification from Transport Canada.
Media were invited to Bombardier's assembly facility in Mirabel, Que., to see the airplane's latest updates.
The CBC's Rebecca Ugolini was there.
Ottawa has given its OK to the CS100, which is the smaller 110-seat version of the plane. A larger model, the CS300, is expected to be certified within six months.
Last month, the Quebec government bailed out the aerospace giant, so the province has a direct stake in any future success of the project.
The bailout came on the same day the company announced a $3.2-billion writedown on the project, which has seen many delays and cost overruns.
Federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau, a former astronaut, was on hand to make the announcement.
"This is a big day," Garneau said, adding that certification sends a strong message to investors and potential customers that Bombardier's CSeries, the largest jets the company has ever made, is open for business.
Bombardier has received 243 firm orders for both models of the plane. The CS100 is expected to enter into service with Lufthansa by mid-2016, several months ahead of the CS300.