Bombardier to host CSeries event Friday as plane’s certification in offing

MONTREAL – After years of delays and cost overruns, Bombardier’s CSeries commercial aircraft appears on the verge of being certified by Canada’s transportation regulator.

The Montreal-based manufacturer is holding a news conference Friday morning in Mirabel to provide an update on the 110- to 125-seat CS100, the smaller of two planes in the US$5.4-billion CSeries program.

Several government officials, including federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau, are slated to be on hand to join top company executives for what has been billed as an “important announcement.”

Bombardier has said it expected to get the green light on certification by the end of the year. However, a company official declined to confirm if certification would be announced.

The last large media gathering at the CSeries assembly facility north of Montreal was in February for the first flight of the larger CS300, which is expected to see its first deliveries in September.

Bombardier (TSX:BBD.B) has received 243 firm orders for both models of the plane. The CS100 is expected to enter into service with Lufthansa by mid-2016,several of months ahead of the CS300.