Transport Canada and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) have awarded Bombardier’s CS100 and CS300 airliners the Same Type Rating (STR), reflecting the high commonality between the two aircraft.  

Bombardier underlines that customers ooperating both aircraft will benefit from the cost-effective, minimal training required to transition pilots from one model to the other. “The commonality also extends to spare parts, maintenance procedures and ground handling, which altogether represent significant financial advantages to customers,” declared Todd Young, Vice President and General Manager, Customer Services, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. 

The CS100 and CS300 aircraft feature over 99% parts commonality – claimed to be the highest level of parts commonality achieved by a manufacturer in the industry. Bombardier explains that the models are not stretched or shrunken versions of each other, but were designed side by side with only the centre section being longer on the larger CS300 aircraft.

Six core pilots from CS300 launch operator airBaltic recently completed minimal differences training and are now qualified to fly the CS300 aircraft.