UPDATE 2-AIRSHOW-Bombardier sees new CS100 jet certified by year end

(Adds details from interview with Cromer, byline)
By Andrea Shalal
DUBAI, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Canadian planemaker Bombardier said
on Sunday it is on track to certify its new CS100 regional jet,
which is making its Middle Eastern debut at the Dubai Airshow
this week, before its planned entry into service next year.
Fred Cromer, president of Bombardier Commercial Aircraft,
told reporters the company's CSeries programme was progressing
well, and was seeing demand from an array of customers,
including some in the Gulf region.
He said the company had nearly completed flight testing of
the CS100, whose FTK-5 test model flew to Dubai last week, and
had already begun function and reliability testing aimed at
simulating typical airline routes and operations.
Completion of the flight test programme and the plane's
certification are essential for Bombardier to drum up additional
orders for the new jet.
Cromer told Reuters on Sunday that the company still
expected to sell 300 jets before the plane enters into service
in the first half of 2016. It currently has 243 firm orders for
the new jet, and an overall total of 603 orders, options and
letters of intent.
He acknowledged Bombardier still had hard work ahead as a
new entrant, and said it continued to press for a "marquis"
customer or larger airline to help boost orders and confidence
in the long-delayed programme, which is billions of dollars over
budget.
Quebec's provincial government announced a $1 billion
investment on Oct. 29 to keep the CSeries programme afloat.
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The narrow-body CSeries line of jets are set to compete
against Boeing (N:BA) Co's BA.N 737 planes and Airbus Group's
AIR.PA A319 and A320 jets.
Cromer, the former president of International Lease Finance
Corp who joined Bombardier in April, said the infusion of cash
had eased the company's liquidity crunch and helped reassure the
market that the CSeries would survive.
"If there was any question about whether or not the
airplane would make it to the market, I think we've largely put
those issues aside," he said. He said the total cost to develop
the CSeries would be about $5.4 billion, with about $900 million
still needed to complete the certification process.
Cromer declined to name any potential Gulf customers for the
new aircraft, but said its performance at high altitudes and in
hot temperatures, as well as its wide seats and low operating
cost, made it attractive to customers in the region.
He said the jet's lower fuel burn rate remained a strong
selling point despite falling oil prices.
Executives added that Latvia-based Air Baltic would be the
launch operator of its CS300 aircraft when it takes delivery in
the second half of 2016. The Latvian flag carrier has 13 CS300
aircraft on firm order and options for seven more.
The CS300 is expected to complete certification about six
months after the CS100.