A wide-ranging chat with regional airline guru UK-based Bernie Baldwin. We discuss the sale of the Q400 program to Viking. Along with several implications of this move. Viking has now bought every propeller-driven program Bombardier has owned. Indeed, Viking will now own the de Havilland brand and all its versions left flying. We agree this is big news for Viking and, indeed, may be a boost for the Q400 itself. We then talk about the implications of the updated P&WC engine used on the MA700 that might, potentially, end up on the Q400.
The what of Bombardier and the CRJ? All sorts of issues here – is Bombardier going to stay in the commercial aerospace business? Perhaps this move allows for much better focus on the CRJ with much less resource constraint. Maybe, but the CRJ is aging and the US scope clause protects it. We then talk about the MRJ and E2 programs.
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