THE announcement by Jersey European Airways that it is to buy 15 new aircraft from the Canadian manufacturer Bombardier has been welcomed by Bombardier's local subsidiary, the Belfast aerospace company Shorts.
The deal, which is worth more than £150 million sterling (€224 million), has been described by Jersey European's chief executive, Mr Barry Perrott, as part of the most substantial single expansion the airline had ever undertaken.
He added that it was an undertaking which could lead to a significant increase in its services from Belfast City Airport. Four of the new aircraft will be 50-seater Canadair Regional Jets (CRJ 200).
The order also includes a number of Bombardier's latest Dash 8 Q Series turboprops - three 37seat Q200s, four 50-seat Q300s and four 78-seat Q400s.
Jersey European carries more passengers into and out of Northern Ireland than any other carrier, and in 1997/98 recorded profits of £5.2 million sterling.
The new turboprop aircraft will replace the airline's existing Fokker F-27 and Shorts SD360s, while the CRJ 200s will be additions to the airline's existing jet aircraft. The order will increase Jersey European's fleet by 40 per cent to 33 aircraft and will allow the development of new routes to add to the 12 destinations it already serves from Belfast City Airport.
The new Q series aircraft will be introduced by the airline in October, with final deliveries by the end of 2001. Canadair Regional Jet deliveries will take place early in 2001.
Bombardier Aerospace, a unit of Bombardier, is the world's third-largest civil aircraft manufacturer, with operations in three countries, and specialises in the 20 to 70 passenger regional market.
Its Belfast subsidiary, Shorts, designs and manufactures the centre fuselage and engine nacelles for the 50-seater Canadair Regional Jet and the engine nacelles and wing components for the 70-seater Q400 turboprop.
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