Bombardier Inc. officials on Wednesday delayed the maiden flight of its all-new CSeries jetliner for a second time, the latest setback in the Canadian plane maker's $3.4 billion bid to compete with bigger rivals.
Bombardier officials say the plane is in the final stages of testing before the first flight. These tests include power runs, and low and high speed taxiing. Ground vibration tests and software upgrades have been completed and the company has submitted a flight test permit to Transport Canada.
A Bombardier spokesman says the new schedule will give the company time for additional software upgrades, with an inaugural flight now scheduled before the end of July. Its previous delay, late last year, was due to an unspecified supplier problem.
The CSeries, which can accommodate between 110 and 130 seats, is Bombardier's bet on the lucrative 100- to 149-seat segment. A reconfigured version of the plane can seat up to 160.
The maiden flight will cap the multi-billion dollar, five-year program that Bombardier management hopes will position the company to compete against industry giants Boeing Co. and Airbus.
Company officials hope to put the CSeries of entry into service a year from first flight. They have announced 177 firm CSeries orders so far and are confident they will reach its target of at least 300 firm orders by the time the plane enters into service.
The CSeries is expected to have a 15% cash operating cost advantage, a 20% fuel burn advantage and will be significantly quieter, the company says.