FLEET - Ibom Air Takes delivery of Two New Bombardier CRJ 900 Next-Gen Aircraft

Ibom Air's two new Bombardier CRJ 900 next-generation aircraft, registered as 5N-CED and 5N-CEE

Ibom Air now operates a total of nine aircraft, including two Airbus A220-300s and seven CRJ 900s, We eagerly await the deliveries of our nine remaining Airbus A220-300s over the next three years.

Liliair (Austria) will launch with two CRJ900s leased from Flite (Malta), out of Klagenfurt in spring 2023 and flying to Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich.

 Image: Liliair

Avmax (Canada) has acquired one CRJ900, serial 15059, from Arik Air (Nigeria). The carrier’s other three CRJ900s remain inactive.

Aviator Daily News
 

Syphax Airlines completes recertification

 

Syphax Airlines (SO, Sfax) has obtained a new air operator's certificate (AOC) from the Tunisian civil aviation authority (Direction Générale de l'Aviation Civile - DGAC).

According to local media reports, the privately-owned Tunisian ACMI/charter specialist regained its flight permit on November 9 after having started the five-phase process in January 2022. Neither the airline nor regulator were immediately available for comment.

Earlier this year, Syphax Airlines took delivery of its first B737-800 leased from Blackbird Capital, saying it had signed a multi-aircraft deal.

As reported, Syphax Airlines - founded in 2011 - operated two A319-100s before it was forced to suspend flights in 2015 due to a financial crunch in the wake of terrorist attacks in Tunisia.

The airline recertified in January 2019 and restarted operations in the middle of that year with a fleet of CRJ900s after Tunisian courts approved a multi-year recovery plan providing for debt restructuring. Founder and Chief Executive Officer Mohamed Frikha said the company would focus on ACMI/charter operations initially with a West African carrier - later revealed to be Arik Air (W3, Lagos) in Nigeria. Thereafter, Syphax Airlines planned to add scheduled passenger flights from its three bases at Tunis, Sfax, and Djerba to Algeria, France, Italy and Spain.

According to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module, the company's fleet comprises the B737-800 and three CRJ900s.

Global Reach Aviation / OY-MIT / CRJ900

 Ton Jochems

Nigeria's ValueJet secures AOC, preps for launch

ValueJet (FVJ, Lagos) received its Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on September 21, 2022, and confirmed plans to launch commercial operations "soon".

The start-up has so far taken deliveries of two ex-Air Nostrum CRJ900s and one ex-Lufthansa CityLine CRJ900LR. All three are currently parked at Lagos airport. ValueJet plans to operate as Nigeria's first low-cost carrier, although it has yet to reveal its planned network or bases.

The airline received its Air Transport Licence (ATL) in March 2020, when it was still eyeing A320s for its fleet.
ValueJet did not respond to ch-aviation's request for comment regarding its next steps.
Ch Aviation
Photos:Valujet

Nigeria's Ibom Air studies int'l route options

Ibom Air (IAN, Uyo) is planning to offer direct flights from Nigeria to Cameroon in the near future according to a report carried by the Vanguard Nigeria daily newspaper.

Talking to the media recently, Secretary to the Akwa Ibom State Government, Emmanuel Ekuwem said: “There’s a demand from our neighbouring country, Cameroon, for Cameroonians to be connected directly to Lagos or Abuja instead of flying to Lomé [Togo] before connecting a flight to Abuja or Lagos.”

During his briefing, he revealed that Ibom Air has traffic rights to fly to Cameroon from Uyo, Abuja or Lagos and that the airline was planning to launch flights to Douala initially. According to the ch-aviation schedules module, ASKY Airlines (KP, Lomé) is currently the only carrier operating between Cameroon and Nigeria offering three weekly flights from Lagos to Douala and from Abuja to Yaoundé Nsimalen.

There are currently no details on the new Douala route specifics like the planned start date or weekly frequency, although Ekuwem confirmed that Uyo's international terminal building will be ready to handle flights before the end of 2020.

Ibom Air, which commenced scheduled operations in June last year, presently operates a 17x weekly service from Uyo to Abuja and a similar weekly frequency to Lagos with its fleet of three CRJ900s.


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Nigeria's Ibom Air adds first aircraft, CRJ-900s

Ibom Air (Uyo) has taken delivery of its first two aircraft following the arrival of CRJ-900s C-FWNL (msn 15182) and C-FWNK (msn 15271) at Uyo Akwa Ibom International Airport on Wednesday, February 20.

The two ex-Suncor Energy (Calgary) twinjets will be joined by a third unspecified aircraft on Friday, February 22, Governor Udom Emmanuel said in a statement marking the aircraft's arrival.

According to the official News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Ibom Air has already recruited 300 direct staff ahead of its launch.

No further details concerning when the start-up would launch, let alone which routes it will cover, were revealed.

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Photos: IBOM AIR

Syphax Airlines secures new AOC, preps for launch

Syphax Airlines (SYA, Sfax) has secured a new Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) from the Tunisian civil aviation authority (Direction Générale de l'Aviation Civile - DGAC) ahead of its resumption of flight operations.

According to Forbes, the certificate was issued on January 3, 2019. The report further cites the Tunisian carrier's CEO and founder Mohamed Frikha as saying it would focus on ACMI/charter operations initially with an unspecified West African carrier.

Thereafter, Frikha said Syphax Airlines would add scheduled passenger flights from Tunis, Sfax, and Djerba to Algeria, France, Italy and Spain later on.

Syphax Airlines currently has two ex-Air Nostrum CRJ-900s on its books.

Customer Orders up to Twelve Bombardier CRJ900 Aircraft

Bombardier Commercial Aircraft announced today that a customer, who has requested to remain unidentified at this time, has signed an order to acquire six CRJ900 aircraft on firm order and options on six additional CRJ900 regional jets.

Based on list price, the firm orders would be valued at approximately $290 million US. Should the customer exercise the six options for CRJ900 aircraft, the contract value would increase to approximately $580 million US.

“Bombardier’s CRJ aircraft have been the backbone of regional aviation in markets around the world. In the last five years, more than 25 new airlines have joined the family of CRJ Series operators, and this is testament to the tremendous value this aircraft can deliver to customers thanks to its unmatched performance and economics,” said Fred Cromer, President, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “The demand for regional air travel is booming, and we are pleased that airlines continue to select the CRJ900 aircraft to generate both passenger and revenue growth.”

Including this latest order, Bombardier has recorded firm orders for 1,918 CRJ Series aircraft. The CRJ Series aircraft family includes over 120 owners and operators flying people in over 90 countries, and the worldwide fleet has logged 50 million flight hours.

AIR NOSTRUM - CRJ900 - EC-MFC

Ton Jochems- PMI

LYBYAN AIRLINES - CRJ900 - 5A-LAM

Ton Jochems - BRU

NORDICA / LOT - CRJ900 - ES-ACH

Ton Jochems - AMS

Estonia’s Nordica to expand fleet to 10 aircraft

One of the carrier's two new Bombardier CRJ900s will be flying its route network, while the other will be operated in the interest of Poland's LOT (Filip Danielczyk / Wikimedia)

Estonian flag carrier Nordica will add two Bombardier CRJ900 regional jets to its current fleet of six CRJ900s and two CRJ700s. The airline says the airframes will be leased from Transpordi Varahaldus (TVH), an Estonian state-run holding company which invests into the country’s transportation sector. Nordica will issue 25 million euros’ worth in bonds with eight-year maturity to finance the deal.

The bonds will be bought in equal shares by two Estonian entities: privately owned banking operation LHV Pank and the namesake pension fund owned by that bank. The transaction is the biggest insertion of commercial capital into Estonian aviation in the country’s post-Soviet history. Four out of Nordica’s current six CRJ900s are owned by TVH.

The Estonian airline has been gradually expanding its operations and becoming more active in supporting its strategic partner LOT Polish Airlines. The Polish carrier first struck up a partnership with the Estonian airline in November 2016. The strategic cooperation involves a common commercial platform and a shared ticket sales system. All flights are operated under the LOT code.

Nordica sources say one of the two new 90-sea CRJ900s will be put on the carrier’s own routes, whereas the other will be used to serve LOT flights.

The airplane Nordica intends to keep for itself is to replace one of its two smaller-capacity CRJ700s, which will be based at Tallinn as a reserve aircraft. “Nordica’s fleet and flight frequency have grown to the point at which having a spare airframe is economically feasible,” says CEO Ahto Parl. “This will further improve the quality and stability of our service, help us save money.”

Nordica is to receive the two aircraft in June and July 2017. The airliners, both understood to have been built in 2011 to the same specifications as the airline’s current examples of the type, will start revenue services in early August.
Russian Aviation Insider

Bombardier and CityJet Sign Conditional Purchase Agreement for up to 10 CRJ900 Aircraft

Aircraft to be operated by CityJet in the Scandinavian Airlines network

Bombardier Commercial Aircraft today announced that Dublin-based regional carrier, CityJet has signed a conditional purchase agreement for six CRJ900 aircraft and has also taken options on an additional four aircraft. This purchase agreement is expected to go firm on January 31, 2017. Upon delivery, the aircraft will operate wet lease services on behalf of Scandinavian Airlines (SAS).

Based on the list price of the CRJ900 aircraft, the conditional order is valued at approximately

US $280 million and could increase to US $467 million, should CityJet exercise all its options.

“CityJet has become one of our largest European CRJ900 aircraft advocates in a short period of time and we are delighted that they continue to put their confidence in Bombardier and its products,” said Ryan DeBrusk, Vice President, Sales, Europe, Russia & Commonwealth of Independent States, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “The CRJ900 aircraft is ideally suited to growing markets across Europe and is creating excellent value for a wide variety of operators with its superior performance, economics and enhanced cabin amenities.”

“The reputable, modern CRJ900 aircraft offers great passenger comfort while maintaining cost effectiveness and operational flexibility; both important factors in our business model,” said Pat Byrne, Executive Chairman, CityJet. “We have been very satisfied with the performance of the CRJ900 regional jets which have proven themselves to be the ideal and most efficient aircraft for our contract flying with Scandinavian Airlines.”

CityJet currently owns a fleet of eight CRJ900 aircraft which are on wet lease service with SAS. The airline will also take delivery of four new CRJ900 aircraft in early 2017 as per Bombardier’s order announcement on April 25, 2016, bringing CityJet’s owned fleet of CRJ900 aircraft to 12. As part of its acquisition of Cimber A/S, a regional airline in Denmark and a former wholly owned subsidiary of SAS, CityJet will operate Cimber’s fleet of 11 CRJ900 aircraft also on wet lease service with SAS. These aircraft will be replaced by up to 10 additional CRJ900 aircraft that were announced today.

IBERIA REGIONAL - CRJ900 - EC-JNB

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China Express Airlines Receives Its 23rd CRJ900NG Aircraft

On April 12, China Express Airlines took delivery of a brand-new CRJ900NG aircraft (Registration B-3142) at Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport, making its 23rd aircraft.


In December 2015, China Express signed a purchase agreement with Canadian manufacturer Bombardier for additional 10 CRJ900NGs, raising its total orders for the model to 38. It is scheduled to receive five more planes in 2016, bringing the fleet size to 28 by year-end.

As its fleet expands, the regional carrier continued to boost its network as well, operating more scheduled services. With significant enhance in transport capacity, China Express is believed to make more contribution to local transportation.

China Express Airlines Orders 10 More Bombardier CRJ900 Jetliners

Firm orders for CRJ900 aircraft cross another milestone and stand at 409
CRJ Series aircraft successfully serving more than 90 operators and linking communities around the globe; total firm orders now stand at 1,883

Bombardier Commercial Aircraft announced today that China Express Airlines (China Express) has placed a firm order for 10 CRJ900 regional jets, raising its total orders for this model of aircraft to 38. With this transaction, China Express has exercised eight previously acquired options for CRJ900 aircraft. To date, 20 of the CRJ900 aircraft ordered by China Express have been delivered.

Based on the list price of the CRJ900 aircraft, the order announced today is valued at approximately $462.6 million US.

Based in Chongqing and four other cities, China Express launched operations in 2006 and specializes in regional services. The airline now serves 62 cities in China.

“China Express is committed to providing air services to people in Tier 3 and Tier 4 cities in China. Our mission is to improve the connectivity by air for those communities,” said Wu Longjiang, President, China Express Airlines. “The CRJ900 is the right aircraft for our cooperation with major airlines on code sharing and connecting flights, as well as cooperation with cities. It offers excellent economics and reliability and is well liked by our passengers. We continue to expand our fleet with these fine aircraft to serve both current and future demand and destinations.”

“We are very pleased with China Express Airlines’ continuing confidence in the CRJ900 jetliner and its role in expanding regional airline services in China,” said Andy Solem, Vice President, Sales, China and North Asia, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “Our 2015-2034 Commercial Aircraft Market Forecast expects delivery of some 900 60- to 100-seat airliners to China during the forecast period and the CRJ900 regional jet is proving to be a perfect fit in that market segment.”

“Bombardier has made significant enhancements to the CRJ900 aircraft since its introduction -- most significantly a 5.5 per cent fuel burn reduction compared to earlier models -- and the aircraft is now in service with more than 20 airlines and other operators that recognize its superior performance,” said Fred Cromer, President, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “With today’s announcement, we are delighted that firm orders for CRJ900 jetliners have crossed another milestone and now stand at 409 aircraft. This is a great way to end the year. Congratulations to all!”

AIR NOSTRUM - CRJ900 - EC-LPN - "VIGO # Unmardevida"

João Luis Pessoa - MAD

China Express Airlines Takes Delivery of 19th CRJ900NG

A brand new Bombardier CRJ900 NextGen regional aircraft touched down at Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport (CKG) at 12:35 p.m. on Friday, and officially joined the fleet of China Express Airlines (G5). This is the 7th CRJ900NG introduced by the regional airline in 2015 and the 19th CRJ900NG in its fleet. 

The arrival of the new aircraft increases its capacity in Chongqing to 11 aircraft. The airline moved its operation base from Guiyang to Chongqing in October 2014.

The airline said it will receive one more aircraft this year. There will be 20 CRJ900NG aircraft in its fleet by the end of the year.

The new arrivals provide capacity support for the carrier to add more flights and launch new services. The regional airline's feeder route network is becoming more efficient, which further improves the connectivity of the nation's small and medium-sized cities.

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