C Series renamed as Airbus takes majority stake

MONTREAL— Bombardier Inc.’s name will no longer appear on its C Series jet, which has been officially renamed the A220 as it joins the Airbus family of commercial aircraft.

The name change comes after Airbus officially took a majority stake in the C Series program earlier this month. What was the CS100 will be known as the A220-100, while the larger CS300 will be the A220-300.

The new name aligns with Air- bus’ popular A320neo aircraft. The change was announced Tuesday at Airbus’ headquarters in Toulouse, France.

“I pay tribute to all the women and men at Bombardier and the supply chain who have strived over the past years to bring this fantastic aircraft to the world,” Guillaume Faury, Airbus president, commercial aircraft, said in a news release.

He said the 100- to 150-seat plane enters a new phase supported by Airbus’ vast resourc- es. The technology of the newly designed plane that results in higher fuel efficiency and quieter engines gives it a “decisive edge” in a very competitive market, added Eric Schulz, Airbus chief commercial officer.

Bombardier said that it fully supports the rebranding.

Despite losing the Bombardier name on the plane, the company still stands to earn profits as a minority owner.

Under the deal between Airbus and Bombardier, the air- craft partnership’s head office and main assembly line will be located in Mirabel, Que.

Airbus also expects to start producing the aircraft for the U.S. market at a new plant in Mobile, Ala., in 2019 with deliveries coming a year later.

The C Series partnership involving Airbus, Bombardier and the Quebec government is credited by industry observers with prompting Boeing and Embraer to announce their own joint venture last week.