The Bombardier CRJ And Q400: A Short History In Pictures

In 1988, Aviation Week & Space Technology’s Paul Proctor reported about the design definition work for the first CRJ100. The Canadian government had sold the formerly state-owned Canadair to Bombardier in 1986 as part of the group’s ambition to build an aerospace business. The CRJ100 was based on the Challenger business jet and was offered in what was at the time a small niche market.

Three years after design freeze, in 1991, the Canadair Regional Jet took off for its first flight. It was the beginning of what later would be called the regional jet revolution. Originally launched by Lufthansa CityLine, the 50-seat aircraft quickly became an enormous success not only in Europe, but also in the U.S. Some 2,000 aircraft of various CRJ versions were sold over the decades.

SkyWest is one of the many carriers in the U.S. that were using the CRJs on behalf of major carriers. The airline still operates 330 CRJs. Airlines like SkyWest were able to enter smaller markets for which narrowbodies were not suitable and connect them to the major hubs. SkyWest also flies a large fleet of Embraer 170s and has 100 Mitsubishi Regional Jets on firm order.

Lufthansa CityLine provides a typical history of the CRJ and its operators. The airline started with the CRJ100, but has long moved past the 50-seater. It also retired all of the 70-seat CRJ700s but still operates a fleet of CRJ900s. That fleet, too is, slowly being shifted to lower-cost affiliates such as Air Dolomiti as CityLine moves up to operate Airbus narrowbodies on behalf of its parent. 

Bombardier advertised its Q400 as "appearing soon at an airport near you" in an advertisement in Aviation Week & Space Technology in March 2000. The first aircraft was rolled out in November 1997 and flew in January 1998. Bombardier has sold more than 600 Q400s over the years. It is the only former Dash-8 model that remains in production, albeit at low rates. Whether Viking will continue to build the aircraft in the longer term is still unclear. 

Some airlines, like Canadian regional carrier Porter, based their business model on the Q400’s capabilities. The Q400 is more expensive than the competing ATR, but also much faster and therefore has higher revenue potential. Used in the right route network, airlines found they can fly the Q400 profitably, although the overwhelming preference among North American passengers of flying on jets has turned the Q400 and other turboprops into niche products.

Indian carrier SpiceJet has flown the Q400 since 2010. In September 2017, it ordered up to 50 additional aircraft, 25 of which are now on firm order. The first new aircraft was delivered in October 2018 and was also the first of the new 90-seat Q400 version. Developing markets like India have become crucial for the aircraft.