Airbus is reportedly going to rename its newly acquired Bombardier C Series jet
- Airbus is reportedly thinking about renaming the Bombardier C Series.
- According to Bloomberg, the C Series may become the A200.
- Airbus acquired a 50.1% of the C Series program in October 2017.
In October, Airbus announced the acquisition of Bombardier's next-generation C Series airliner. Now, it looks like Airbus is thinking about renaming its new jet.
The Bombardier C Series may soon be renamed the A200-family, sources told Bloomberg's Benjamin D Katz and Frederic Tomesco. More specifically, the CS100 and CS300 would be redesignated the A210 and A230.
However, the source also told Bloomberg that no formal decision has been made yet.
An Airbus spokesman could not confirm the rumors. However, the company did tell Business Insider that it believes its deal with Bombardier "will bring tremendous value to the C Series program," and that they are "confident that Airbus can help to make that program even more successful."
The A200 moniker would allow Airbus to market the C Series with a name that's in line with the rest of its lineup. The renaming of an airliner is far from a common occurrence, but it is something that has happened before. Following Boeing's 1997 merger with McDonnell Douglas, MD-95 became the Boeing 717-200.
Airbus acquired 50.1% of the C Series program in October. However, mechanisms within the deal will see the Europe airplane maker take 100% ownership of the C Series program within five years. Airbus made no up-front financial investment in the C Series, but will provide its procurement, marketing, sales, and customer-support expertise. In addition, Airbus also indicated that C Series production would also take place at its plant in Mobile, Alabama.
At the time of the deal, Bombardier was mired in the middle of a trade dispute with Boeing and under threat from a proposed 299.45% tariffed levied upon it by the US Commerce Department. The dispute came about when Boeing alleged that its business was hurt by the low prices Delta received in its 2016 order for 75 C Series jets. According to Boeing, these prices were only possible with the assistance of Canadian Government subsidies. ;
In January, the US International Trade Commission struck the down the proposed tariffs, ending the dispute.