Since entering service in 1992, the Bombardier CRJ has revolutionized the commercial air transport industry and changed the way people travel. Today, more than 1,300 Bombardier CRJ aircraft fly with operators large and small all over the world and the CRJ Series family of aircraft has become the most successful regional aircraft program the world has ever known.

The Bombardier CRJ gives airlines the capability to offer services to its passengers that were not previously possible with mainline narrowbody airliners or conventional regional turboprops. These new services can be summarized as follows:

Hub Extension

The speed and range of the CRJ allows airlines to extend the traditional “capture area” of an airline from its hub airports, bringing more passengers into its network.

Hub Bypass & Point-to-Point Service

The smaller aircraft capacity of the CRJ compared to mainline narrowbodies (eg – 737, A320) allows utilizing secondary airports to fly to key destinations, avoiding traditional hub airports.

The first Bombardier CRJ to enter service was the 50-seat CRJ100 with Lufthansa CityLine in November 1992. The CRJ100 was superseded by the CRJ200 which utilizes the same airframe but offers an upgraded engine. A variant of this aircraft called the CRJ440, limited to 44 seats, was certified in October 2001 and entered service with Northwest in January 2002.

With the tremendous success of the CRJ200 airlines asked for a larger capacity CRJ that would allow them to grow their traditional markets while offering lower seat-mile costs. In collaboration with its customers Bombardier developed several new members of the CRJ family; the CRJ700, CRJ705 and CRJ900 that featured a complete re-design of all of the structure and systems. In addition, an all-new wing was developed that increases the cruise speed of these aircraft while offering excellent airfield characteristics. These aircraft also feature an all new interior cabin that offers increased room for the passenger, enabled by a lowering the floor by 1” (2.54 cm) and redesigning the aircraft frames of the original CRJ200, offering more headroom and a wider cabin. The seating and bins were completely redesigned to allow more passenger space and increased bin stowage.

The Bombardier CRJ700 made its maiden flight in May 1999 and was delivered to inaugural customer Brit Air/Air France in January 2001. In January 2003 the largest member of this highly successful family – the Bombardier CRJ900 – was delivered to Mesa Airlines of the United States. The CRJ705 was announced in March 2005. The CRJ705 and CRJ900 now come standard with an “Enhanced Performance Package” incorporating structural, aerodynamic and system changes for improved airfield performance and lower fuel burn.

The CRJ700, CRJ705 and CRJ900 share the same engine, allowing for greater commonality and reduced maintenance costs. All versions of the Bombardier CRJ can be flown by the same pilot pool, substantially reducing training costs.

To learn more about each specific CRJ model type, click on the specific aircraft to navigate to that page.

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