Regional Rebound

The annual gathering of regional airline executives, manufacturers and suppliers was largely upbeat for an industry that has been battered by economic, regulatory and safety challenges in recent years.

The RAA convention has long been the forum where aerospace manufacturers highlight the benefits of their engines and airframe products to airlines and the aviation media. 

The U.S. regional airline industry experienced double-digit annual growth through about 2005 thanks, in large part, to the introduction of the first Canadian-designed 50-seat regional jet 20 years ago. 

In fact, the regional jet (RJ) revolution began in North America on June 1, 1993, when Delta Connection passengers at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport boarded Comair’s inaugural Bombardier CRJ100 (Canadair Regional Jet Series 100) flight to Toronto’s Lester B. Pearson International Airport.

The RAA reports 1,744 regional jets and 382 turboprops in service with regional airlines in the United States in 2011, accounting for half of all scheduled U.S. flights and transporting 160.7 million passengers.

Between 2000 and 2005, regional airline capacity increased from 42.8 billion to 95.6 billion available seat miles (ASMs) – a 123 per cent increase – thanks to a flood of RJ deliveries, and the transfer of a large number of mainline routes to regional carriers following the post 9/11 drop in air travel.

Airline growth turned to cost cutting between 2005 and 2011 (when U.S. regional airline capacity grew only 5.1 per cent) as the industry flew through the turbulence of high fuel prices, a weak U.S. economy, major airline bankruptcies, airline mergers and hub closures. 

Now, the regional airline industry has begun a new round of aircraft purchases and is expected to acquire about 400 70-seat RJs (and turboprops) to replace about 600 50-seat (and less) RJs, which have become less economical because of high fuel and labour costs. 

This new round of 70-seat aircraft purchases is largely the result of new mainline pilot scope agreements that allow regional airlines to add more 76-seat regional jets weighing less than 86,000 lbs.

The demand for new regional jets has created a three-way race between Bombardier, Embraer and Mitsubishi, with Bombardier and ATR battling for any potential turboprop sales that may follow once the RJ deals are finalized.  

Today, Bombardier Aerospace has 1,800 CRJs and Q Series Dash 8s operating 220,186 monthly flights in North America (Canada and the USA), which account for a remarkable 27 per cent of all airline departures. 

In December 2012, Bombardier received an order from Delta Airlines for 40 dual-class, 76-seat CRJ900s (plus 30 options). Delta, which merged with Northwest in 2009, is scheduled to remove more than 200 50-seat RJs from service in the next few years. CRJ900 deliveries to Delta subsidiary Pinnacle Airlines start in September 2013.

Meanwhile, the first flight of the five abreast-seating Bombardier CSeries jetliner is scheduled for June 2013 at Bombardier’s Mirabel factory north of Montreal. 

A major program milestone was reached on Feb. 20, when Pratt & Whitney Canada announced that Transport Canada had certified the PW1500G PurePower geared turbofan for the CSeries, following 4,000 hours of testing (including 340 hours of flight testing on P&WC’s Mirabel-based Boeing 747SP test aircraft).  

Five CSeries flight test vehicles (FTVs) are now in various stages of final assembly at Mirabel, and will join the flight test and certification program at about one-month intervals to support Bombardier’s goal of delivering the first 108-125 seat CS100 to a customer in 2014.

Bombardier reported a sales backlog of 102 CRJ regional jets (14 CRJ700, 51 CRJ900 and 37 CRJ1000) regional jets, 34 Q400 turboprops and 146 CSeries (63 CS100 and 82 CS300) as of March 31, 2013. 

Embraer expects to deliver its 1,000th E-Jet in September 2013, with the jet family – E170, E175, E190 and E195 – flying with a full spectrum of mainline, regional and low cost airlines.    

In January 2013, Embraer received an order for 47 dual-class E175s from Republic Airways (and 47 options) to be flown for American Eagle. Then, in April, United Airlines ordered 30 E175s (and 40 options), which will be flown by its regional airline partners. 

That was followed on May 21 by Skywest announcing a firm order for 40 76-seat E175s that will be operated for United Airlines, plus a re-confirmable order for an additional 60 E175s that Skywest will offer to fly other major airlines (plus 100 options).

Embraer recently announced a two-step program to renew its 70 to 120-seat E-Jet airliner family over the next one to five years.  

The first step is a series of aerodynamic, maintenance program and systems changes that will be introduce in the next year.

Embraer is introducing a series of aerodynamic improvements to reduce fuel burn by about five per cent on the E170 and E175 jets, and by up to four per cent on the E190 and E195. Half the reduction in fuel consumption will come from a new wingtip design to be introduced in 2014. 

The basic E-Jet maintenance check interval for the E-Jet family is also being increased from 6,000 to 7,500 flight hours, and the aircraft will receive a new flight management system (FMS) as well as prognoses and health management (PHM) and structural health monitoring (SHM) systems.

In January 2013, Embraer also announced it had selected the Pratt & Whitney PurePower Geared Turbofan (GTF) to power the second generation of E-Jets, which are expected to go into service in 2018. 

This decision marks a major shift in engine supplier from the General Electric CF34 that powers the current models, to the Pratt & Whitney PW1700G and PW1900G geared turbofans, which will power the E170/E175 and E190/E195 respectively.

It will surprise many to discover that Mitsubishi held the largest backlog of firm regional jet orders in North America until recent Embraer wins.

The Japanese manufacturer builds major aircraft components for Boeing and Bombardier, including fuselage sections for the 767 and 777 and wings for the Challenger 300 and Global Express (and previously made the MU-2 and YS-11 turboprops and the MU-300 Diamond business jet).

In 2008, Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation was formed to develop the new 70-seat MRJ70 and 90-seat MRJ90 regional jets, with Toyota as a 30 per cent shareholder.

The MRJ has a four-abreast cabin that is slightly larger than either the Bombardier CRJ or Embraer E-Jet, and will be the first 70-to-90 seat class jetliner powered by the 15,000 to 17,000 lb thrust Pratt & Whitney PurePower PW1200G GTF.

In February 2011, Trans States Airlines of St. Louis, Mo., confirmed its order for 50 MRJ90s (plus 50 options); and then in December 2012, Skywest Airlines, the world’s largest regional airline, finalized an order for 100 Mitsubishi MRJ90s (with 100 options). ANA of Japan has also ordered 15 MRJs.

The first flight of the MRJ90 is scheduled in the fourth quarter of 2013. Trans States will receive its first MRJs in 2016, and Skywest in 2017, with Canada’s CAE the exclusive supplier for MRJ pilot and maintenance training. 

Depending on major airline requirements, Skywest and Trans States both have the ability to modify their orders to receive a combination of 76-seat single-class MRJ70s and 76-seat two-class MRJ90s. 

Development of the MRJ70 will follow the MRJ90, and in turn could be followed by the MRJ100X, a 100-seat jet still at the concept stage.

ATR is ramping up production of the 46-50 seat ATR 42-600 and the 68-74 seat ATR 72-600 at its plant in Toulouse, France, to meet worldwide demand – which saw ATR with an order backlog for 221 turboprops at the end of 2012.

The new ATR 600 series airliners are powered by the P&WC PW127 turboprop engine, and feature a brand new avionics suite, including a new glass cockpit with five LCD screens, as well as new communication, navigation and monitoring systems, flight management system (FMS), automatic pilot, alert management and multi-purpose computer (MPC), which integrates aircraft maintenance and protection functions in particular.

In late April, the new ATR 600 series was certified by the FAA, opening the door to new sales opportunities in the U.S. and countries that reference FAA certification.

The ATR 72-600 now accounts for 90 per cent of ATR production, which will increase to 80 aircraft in 2013 and 90 in 2014. 

Canada has become a popular secondary market for used ATRs, with 27 ATR 42s and 72s in service or on order for passenger, cargo or combi airline use. 

Three aircraft engine manufacturers – Pratt & Whitney Canada, General Electric and recently Turbomeca – are vying to power the new generation of 70- to 90-seat turboprops that airframe makers could launch for entry into service in 2018-2019. 

In anticipation of a decision by Bombardier or ATR, both of which have previously floated the idea of a larger 90-seat turboprop, the engine makers are investing in new technology today to ensure they are ready if either OEM decides to launch a new product. 

Recently, ATR has been more active distributing illustrations of its proposed 90-seat Next Generation Turboprop (NGT), while Bombardier has focused its attention on the imminent first flight of its CSeries jet.  

In 2010, P&WC launched its New Regional Turboprop Engine demonstration engine program, targeting a double-digit reduction in fuel burn and lower maintenance costs. The demo program has been testing new impellers and compressor designs, with the full compressor expected to undergo rig tests at MTU in Germany in the third quarter of 2013.  

At RAA, GE highlighted its contender, the 5,000 to 6,000 shp CPX38, which is a turboprop derivative of the GE38 military turboshaft engine selected to power the new Sikorsky CH-53K heavy lift helicopter, which is scheduled to fly in 2013.

Meanwhile, Safran group engine makers Snecma and Turbomeca of France have expressed interest in developing a large 5,000 shp turboprop engine to compete against P&WC and GE.  

Snecma is a partner in the 11,000 shp Europrop International TP400-D6 turboprop engine (with Rolls-Royce, MTU and ITP), the western world’s largest turboprop, which powers the Airbus Military A400M transport aircraft.

Meanwhile, more secondary markets are opening up for used 50-seat Bombardier regional jets, as aircraft find new homes with overseas airlines, as converted business jets, and, increasingly, as freighters. 

In February, Bombardier Aerospace announced that it has entered into an agreement with Aeronautical Engineers, Inc. (AEI) of Miami, Fla., to become a Bombardier-licensed third party Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) Provider for passenger-to-freighter conversions for CRJ100 and CRJ200 aircraft. The freighters will include a large cargo door and will be marketed by AEI as CRJ100 and CRJ200 Special Freighter (SF) aircraft.

Bombardier will provide AEI with the initial CRJ in the first part of 2014, and the STC should be available in 2015, with the first CRJ Special Freighter expected to enter service in 2015.

Since the program was announced, AEI has secured customer commitments for more than 45 CRJ Special Freighters that will carry eight pallets and feature a 94 x 77 cargo door.