CRJ900 goes to work at Lufthansa CityLine	August 2006

Longtime Bombardier CRJ operator Lufthansa CityLine put its newest aircraft, a CRJ900, into service in August with an inaugural flight from Bonn-Cologne to a new CityLine destination, Westerland on the Frisian island of Sylt.

Lufthansa CityLine now operates all four variants of the Bombardier CRJ family: 50-seat CRJ100 and CRJ200, 70-seat CRJ700 and 84-seat CRJ900. In total, Lufthansa CityLine has ordered 77 CRJ aircraft.

On board the inaugural flight were Dr. Thomas Dräger and Klaus Froese, co-Managing Directors of the airline, James Dailly, Senior Vice-president, Sales, Bombardier Regional Aircraft, members of the media and other invited guests.

"With the new aircraft model, Lufthansa CityLine is taking a major step forward economically and technologically and is thus ideally prepared to face up to the future and the competition," said Dr. Dräger. "The CRJ900 complies with Lufthansa's high standards in terms of economic efficiency and environmental compatibility. Emissions and noise are well below international limiting values and fuel consumption has been reduced considerably. A level of fuel consumption of only 3.5 litres per passenger is possible under certain conditions." Such an excellent figure is usually only possible with long-range operation of wide-bodied aircraft.

Since the Bombardier CRJ900 entered airline service with Mesa Airlines in 2003, the aircraft, along with its sister aircraft, the Bombadier CRJ705, have proven to be economical, flexible and passenger and airport friendly. Eight additional airlines - Lufthansa CityLine, Arik Air in Nigeria, Air Nostrum in Spain, Atlasjet Airlines in Turkey, Air One in Italy, MAT Macedonian Airlines, U.S.-based SkyWest and Air Canada Jazz -- have now placed firm orders for a total of 117 CRJ900 and CRJ705 aircraft.

The Bombardier CRJ900 feeds hub airports and has opened up new long range markets for Mesa, Air Nostrum, MAT, Lufthansa CityLine and Air Canada Jazz; it has enabled Air One and Atlasjet to offer new low fare services; and it has ushered in state-of-the-art regional air travel in Nigeria with Arik Air.

"High fuel costs are eroding airlines' ability to earn a profit, so an aircraft that combines excellent performance, low operating costs and exceptional passenger comfort is an absolute necessity," said James Dailly. "The Bombardier CRJ900 fits that profile perfectly."