In the third consecutive year of increased deliveries for business aircraft, overall deliveries for Bombardier (BBD) dropped by 11 aircraft from 337 in FY 2006 to 326 in the fiscal year ended January 31, 2007. In the regional aircraft segment, deliveries totaled 112 regional airliners compared to 138 aircraft for the same period last year, including 63 deliveries of the CRJ700/CRJ900 regional jets compared to 74 deliveries in fiscal 2005/06. The increase in demand for turboprops translated into increased deliveries of the Q-Series regional turboprops, with deliveries of the Q400 reaching 31 aircraft compared to 16 in the previous year.
Deliveries of business jets totaled 212 compared to 197 for the same period last fiscal year, an increase of eight percent. Fifty-five of the business aircraft delivered last fiscal year, were the Challenger 300 jets. Deliveries of 42 of the Global jets also contributed to the increase, with 21 deliveries each for the Global Express XRS and Global 5000 aircraft.
The three percent decrease in total aircraft deliveries is mainly attributable to reduced deliveries of CRJ Series aircraft in the context of the U.S. airline restructuring and fewer deliveries of Learjet aircraft than planned owing to a three-week work stoppage in October as a result of a strike in the Wichita facility. Today, airlines are focusing on operating economies and are opting for larger and more efficient regional jets.