The Bombardier C Series, now known as the Airbus A220, reached a significant milestone this month, marking ten years since its inaugural flight. In this exclusive interview, Thomas Haynes delves into the aircraft's history and development with Rob Dewar, a pivotal figure in its creation and Airbus Canada’s senior vice president of A220 customer satisfaction, services and product policy.
Nearly two decades ago, Bombardier stood at a crossroads. The company had achieved success in the regional market, but the time had come to expand its horizons. Dewar, who was one of the first people assigned to the project, recalls: “Bombardier was a very entrepreneurial company. The natural thing was to grow into the larger market, which they saw as the 100 to 150-seat market, abandoned by other OEMs.
“It was a very strategic move because Boeing and Airbus were focusing on the larger single-aisles, and we saw an opportunity, based on the skill set of Bombardier.”
