COMAIR Places Record-Setting Canadair Regional Jet Order With Bombardier.

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 1, 1998--Bombardier Inc.(TSE:BBD.A.) (ME:BBD.A.) (TSE:BBD.B.) (ME:BBD.B.)

Largest Canadair Regional Jet Fleet Operator Will Add 70-seat Model

COMAIR, the North American launch customer for the Canadair Regional Jet and the largest fleet operator of the aircraft type, has signed a 10-year agreement with Bombardier Aerospace involving the largest single Canadair Regional Jet transaction in the history of the program. The contract calls for firm orders for 30 CRJ Series 100 and 20 Series 700 models. As well, the agreement raises COMAIR's CRJ Series 100 options by 30 to 45 and secures 70 Series 700 options for the airline.

The firm orders are valued in excess of $1 billion U.S. ($1.5 billion Cdn.). It is the first order for the 70-seat Series 700 from Delta Connection carrier COMAIR.

Deliveries of COMAIR's latest Series 100 aircraft will begin in September 1999 while the airline's Series 700 deliveries commence in the fourth quarter of 2001.

"Our decision to select the CRJ Series 700 is a natural follow-on to the success we have experienced with the 50-passenger Canadair Jet," said David A. Siebenburgen, president and chief executive officer of COMAIR Inc.

"We are extremely happy that COMAIR, with already more Canadair Regional Jet aircraft in its fleet than any other airline, has returned with the largest single order in the history of the CRJ program," said Robert Gillespie, president of Bombardier Aerospace, Regional Aircraft. "COMAIR had a clear vision of the future when it pioneered Canadair Jet service in the U.S. in 1993. We are very proud that the Canadair Regional Jet has helped propel COMAIR into one of the most profitable regional airlines.

"The addition of the Canadair Regional Jet Series 700 to COMAIR's fleet will provide the airline with the ability to meet growing capacity requirements on routes originally developed by the Canadair Regional Jet and to match capacity with demand," said Mr. Gillespie.

COMAIR currently has 67 50-seat Canadair Regional Jet Series 100 aircraft in its fleet as part of a previous firm order of 80 jets. Combined with today's order, the airline has a total of 130 50- and 70-seat firm orders.

COMAIR operates almost 5,000 flights weekly to 80 destinations, with about 85 per cent of the airline's capacity provided by the Canadair Jet fleet. COMAIR carried about 5.5 million passengers during fiscal 1998, up from about 2.4 million in 1993 when the Canadair Regional Jet joined the airline's fleet. In the first two quarters of fiscal 1999, COMAIR carried close to three million passengers.

Today's contract with COMAIR brings the total Canadair Regional Jet firm order book to 490 aircraft, including 71 of the new 70-passenger CRJ Series 700 aircraft ordered by five airlines.

Calendar year to date, Bombardier has recorded a total of 141 Canadair Regional Jet firm sales including 97 50-passenger and 44 70-passenger Series 700 aircraft.

Bombardier Aerospace, a unit of Bombardier Inc., is the world's third largest civil aircraft manufacturer with its Canadair and de Havilland operations in Canada, Learjet in the United States and Shorts in the United Kingdom. Leading the 20- to 70-passenger regional carrier market, Bombardier Aerospace offers complete families of Dash 8(R) turboprop and Canadair Regional Jet(R) aircraft. It has the industry's widest range of business jets, from the light and mid-size Learjet(R) series to the widebody Challenger(R) and ultra long-range Global Express(R).

It also produces the Canadair 415 firefighting/maritime mission aircraft and designs and manufactures airframe components and aircraft engine nacelles.

Bombardier Inc. is a Canadian corporation engaged in design, development, manufacturing and marketing activities in the fields of aerospace, rail transportation equipment, and recreational products. It also provides financial services and services related to its products and core competencies. The Montreal -based Corporation operates plants in Canada, the United States, Mexico, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, employing 47,000 people. Bombardier's revenues for its fiscal year ended January 31, 1998 totalled 8.5 billion Canadian dollars, and more than 88 percent of its revenues are generated in markets outside Canada.

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