Aircraft makers scramble for regional market

By Jackson Okoth

NAIROBI, KENYA: The fierce competition for control of the regional aviation market is surging with new firms fighting for a slice of the market.  This did not escape the attention of those in the aviation business, when Canadian based Bombardier Aerospace delivered the first of two CRJ900 NextGen regional jets ordered by RwandAir in Kigali.

RwandAir’s firm order for the CRJ900 NextGen aircraft, along with options for two additional CRJ900 NextGen aircraft, was announced on March 19, this year.

The latest delivery follows that of Kenya Airways, which in October received another plane out of the nine jets ordered from Embraer SA, a Brazilian aerospace conglomerate that produces commercial, military, and executive aircraft. “Competition is stiff within the East African region in a market that is still underserved by air travel companies,” said John Mirenge, RwandAir chief executive officer. There are currently more than 200 Bombardier regional jets and turbo-prop aircraft in service with, or on firm order from  about 50 operators in the Middle East and Africa. 

Bombardier projects that over the next 20 years, the fleet of Bombardier commercial aircrafts in the Middle East and Africa will continue to grow, forecasting deliveries of 970 aircraft in the 20 to 149-seat market segments during the period.

 Bombardier’s CRJ Series jetliners are considered one of the world’s most successful families of regional aircraft, with some 1,735 in service or ordered as of September 30.

Worldwide, CRJ Series aircraft are in service with more than 60 airlines and have logged more than 34 million flight hours and 28 million take-off and landing cycles. In addition to airline operations, more than 30 customers operate corporate variants of CRJ Series aircraft.

More than 270 CRJ900 and CRJ900 NextGen aircraft are in operation or on order. This short and medium range aircraft is also present in the Uganda airlines fleet.

The Bombardier CRJ200 (LR) aircraft is designed to hold 50 passengers in a 4-abreast configuration with a lavatory and galley as standard equipment.

The long-range model has a maximum take-off weight of 24,041 kg and a range of 3,148 km. This aircraft requires a radius of only 75 feet (22.86 metres) to negotiate a 180-degree turn; a valuable asset at increasingly congested airports. Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer has secured a deal to sell their E170 and E190 jets to Kenya Airways and other leading African airlines.

However, it has been rattled by Bombardiers relentless offensive to get a piece in the lucrative East African aviation business. It has reportedly started talks with the African Development Bank (AfDB) on aircraft finance cooperation.

The expression of interest appears the formation of an Africa based aircraft leasing company, in which both Embraer and the AfDB could have a financial interest, aimed to make modern jet and turboprop aircraft more affordable by African airlines and in the process promote safer and more affordable air transport across the continent.

Embraer has become the world’s third largest aircraft manufacturer after Airbus and Boeing. Bombardier has been aggressive in sealing deals with many African airlines for sale of its jets.