Transport Canada and the European Aviation Safety Agency today granted Bombardier’s CSeries CS100 and CS300 airliners Same Type Rating (STR) status. According to the manufacturer, the approval will give operators significant opportunities to save costs and reflects the 99 percent parts commonality that the two aircraft share. Bombardier designed the two versions of the CSeries in tandem, with only the center section being longer for the larger CS300 model.

“The Same Type Rating is a reflection of the high commonality between the CS100 and CS300 aircraft,” said Todd Young, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft vice president and general manager for customer services. “This is great news for customers that operate both aircraft as they will benefit from the cost-effective, minimal training required to transition pilots from one model to the other. The commonality also extends to spare parts, maintenance procedures and ground handling, which altogether represents significant financial advantages to customers.

Bombardier designed the two versions of the CSeries in tandem, with only the center section being longer for the larger CS300 model.

Meawhile, six pilots with CS300 launch customer Air Baltic have now completed their differences training and are qualified to fly the twinjet. On November 11, Bombardier announced that it was set to deliver the first aircraft to the Latvian carrier “in the coming weeks.”