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Bombardier Aerospace announced that Riga, Latvia-based Air Baltic Corp. (airBaltic) has signed a letter of intent (LOI) to acquire 10 CS300 aircraft and take purchase rights on a further 10 CS300 jetliners.
Based on the list price of the CS300 airliner, a firm-order contract with the network carrier will be valued at approximately US$764 million, and could increase to US$1.57 billion should the 10 purchase rights be converted to firm orders.
“As we look to replace the older aircraft in our fleet, matching the requirements of our business plan, we reviewed the narrowbody platforms from the major airframers and determined that the all-new CS300 aircraft was the best fit. With its advanced technologies, it is optimized for our market sizes and will be an excellent companion to the eight Bombardier Q400 NextGen turboprops in our fleet,” said Martin Gauss, CEO, airBaltic. “The superb economics of the aircraft and the delivery time frame that is available to us are also key factors in our decision to choose Bombardier’s CS300 airliners for our network. In addition, the travelling experience of our passengers will be further enhanced by the CSeries aircraft’s widebody comfort, including the five-abreast seating and wider middle seat.”
In 2012, airBaltic was named one of the most innovative airlines in the world by airlinetrends.com.
Including today’s announced LOI from airBaltic for 10 CS300 airliners and purchase rights for 10 CS300 airliners, as well as a conditional order for five CS100 and 10 CS300 jetliners placed by an unidentified customer earlier this week during the Farnborough Airshow, Bombardier has booked orders and commitments for 352 CSeries aircraft.
