Canadair CL-415 begins world tour Alitalia assisting in five-month, 21-country TOUwpo.

ROME--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 23, 1995--CANADAIRThe world's most advanced aerial firefighting aircraft -- the new-generation amphibious Canadair CL-415 -- today officially kicked off an extensive world tour.

The aircraft will visit 21 countries in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and several regions in Australia, travelling more than 19,000 nautical miles (35,500 km) over some 180 days.

Resplendent in a fresh white and red-striped livery, the aircraft was unveiled during a launch ceremony held today in the SISAM hangar at Ciampino Airport, near Rome.

More than 200 guests attended the function including officials from Canadair, Alitalia and SISAM, members of the governments of Canada and Italy, and municipal officials from the greater Rome area, as well as Alitalia and SISAM employees.

"We are extremely pleased to join with Alitalia and SISAM in presenting the CL-415 -- the world's premier firefighting aircraft -- on its first major tour," declared James Cherry, president, Canadair Amphibious Aircraft Division.

Alitalia, the Italian airline and aircraft service organization operating worldwide, will assist in flight operations and aircraft maintenance throughout the world tour. Through its SISAM subsidiary, Alitalia currently operates four CL-415 aircraft as aerial firefighters in Italy.

"In fact, this is the longest and most important tour that any Canadair amphibious aircraft has ever embarked upon and we anticipate it will generate positive results."

Remarked Cherry: "We intend to demonstrate that the amphibious characteristics of the CL-415 make it an ideal solution to meet the needs of government agencies in numerous applications. In addition to firefighting, we will demonstrate its capabilities and versatility in a variety of maritime roles including patrol and search and rescue."

Tour details

Following the launch the aircraft will fly to Turkey where it will conduct several firefighting demonstrations Oct. 25-27 in Izmir, and then return west to Athens, Greece, for firefighting and maritime demonstrations Oct. 29-31.

Thereafter, the aircraft is scheduled to visit Lebanon, Syria, Cyprus, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, Singapore, Philippines, Taiwan and Japan.

The aircraft will also be displayed at three air shows: the Dubai Air Show in the United Arab Emirates from Nov. 12 to 16; Malaysia's LIMA '95 show in Langkawi from Dec. 5 to 10; and the Asian Aerospace exhibition in Singapore from Feb. 6 to 11, 1996.

In addition to the Alitalia/SISAM assistance, Monsato of Ontario, Calif., is also participating by providing foam concentrate to be used in firefighting demonstrations.

The aircraft, which is operated by the Government of Quebec, is scheduled to re-enter service with Quebec's Fonds du service aerien gouvernemental at the conclusion of the tour in April 1996.

The CL-415 aircraft is the successor to the piston-powered CL-215 which has been highly successful in aerial firefighting around the world for the past 26 years.

To date, firefighting agencies in Italy, France and Quebec have ordered a total of 24 aircraft. As of Oct. 13, 1995, nine CL-415 aircraft had accumulated some 2,500 hours in service, receiving high marks from their crews for superior speed, performance and productivity.

Canadair, a member of the Bombardier Aerospace Group - North America, which also includes de Havilland and Learjet, currently manufactures the Challenger 601-3R(X) widebody business jet, 50-passenger Canadair Regional Jet(X) airliner and components for major aircraft companies including Aerospatiale and Boeing.

Bombardier Inc., a Canadian corporation with 37,000 employees worldwide and annual sales of $5.9 billion Cdn., is engaged in the fields of aerospace, transportation equipment and motorized consumer products. -0- (X) Trademarks of Bombardier Inc.

CONTACT: Bryan MacCormack

Rome - (39) 6.4828014

or

Leo Knaapen

Montreal - [phone]