The Evolution of a Regional Workhorse: A Look at the CRJ700 (CL-65) Family

The Bombardier CRJ700 series, often referred to by its type designation CL-65, stands as a testament to the success of regional jet aviation. Born from the foundational success of the smaller CRJ100/200, this family of aircraft transformed regional air travel by offering greater capacity, improved performance, and enhanced passenger comfort. From its origins as a stretched business jet to its eventual acquisition by Mitsubishi, the CRJ700 family carved out a significant niche in the global aviation landscape.

Genesis from the Challenger: The CL-600 Series

To understand the CRJ700, one must first look back at its lineage. The "CL-65" designation hints at its roots in the Canadair Challenger 600 series of business jets. The Challenger itself was initially conceived by Bill Lear as the "LearStar 600" in the mid-1970s, a wide-cabin business jet with a revolutionary supercritical wing design. Canadair (later acquired by Bombardier Aerospace in 1986) purchased the rights to the design and developed it into the CL-600.

The Challenger 600 (CL-600-1A11), first flying in 1978 and entering service in 1980, established the core fuselage design – a wide body for its class – and the distinctive T-tail configuration. Subsequent business jet variants like the CL-601 (introducing winglets and General Electric CF34 engines) and later iterations like the 604, 605, and 650 continuously refined the platform with updated avionics, increased range, and improved performance. It was this proven airframe and its robust systems that provided the foundation for Bombardier's ambitious regional jet program.

The Dawn of the Regional Jet: The CRJ Program

Building on the success of the Challenger, Bombardier ventured into the regional airliner market. The initial Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ) program began with the CRJ100 and CRJ200, 50-seat aircraft that quickly became staples for regional airlines worldwide. These smaller jets, while successful, highlighted a growing demand for slightly larger regional aircraft to serve less dense routes with better economics.

This demand led to the launch of the CRJ-X program in 1994, aiming to create stretched variants of the CRJ100/200. This development ultimately gave rise to the CRJ700 series. While it retained the common type rating with its smaller predecessors, the CRJ700 underwent significant redesigns. Bombardier stretched the fuselage, lengthened the wing, incorporated leading-edge extensions and high-lift slats for improved performance, and utilized more powerful General Electric CF34-8C engines. In fact, only about 15% of the CRJ200 airframe was retained in the CRJ700, making it a substantially new aircraft.

The CRJ700 Family: Variants and Evolution

The CRJ700 (officially CL-600-2C10) made its maiden flight on May 27, 1999, and entered commercial service with Brit Air in 2001. Designed to seat 66 to 78 passengers, it directly competed with aircraft like the Fokker 70 and Embraer's burgeoning E-Jet family. The CRJ700 offered various fuel/weight options, including standard, Extended Range (ER), and Long Range (LR) versions, providing flexibility for airlines.

The CRJ700 quickly spawned larger derivatives to meet evolving market demands and airline "scope clauses" (agreements between major airlines and pilot unions that limit the size and capacity of aircraft flown by regional affiliates).

• CRJ900 (CL-600-2D24): This was the first stretched variant of the CRJ700, increasing capacity to up to 90 passengers. The CRJ900 performed its maiden flight in February 2001, just months after the CRJ700 entered service. It shares a high degree of commonality with the CRJ700, maintaining the goal of a common type rating to reduce pilot training costs for airlines operating both types.

  
  

• CRJ1000 (CL-600-2E25): Representing the final stretch of the CRJ family, the CRJ1000 further increased capacity to up to 104 passengers. Introduced later, it featured reinforced landing gear, a longer fuselage (nearly 10 feet longer than the CRJ900), and further aerodynamic refinements including a trailing-edge wing extension and larger composite flaps. While sharing a similar cockpit layout with the 700/900, it incorporated subtle changes for the increased length and weight.

  
  

• CRJ550 (CL-600-2C10 restricted to 50 seats): A more recent and unique variant, the CRJ550 is essentially a CRJ700 airframe limited to 50 passenger seats. This seemingly counter-intuitive design was a direct response to specific airline scope clauses that restricted regional airlines to 50-seat aircraft, even if they were allowed to operate jets of the CRJ700's physical size. By utilizing the larger, more comfortable CRJ700 fuselage with fewer seats, airlines could offer a premium regional experience while adhering to contractual limitations.

  
  

NextGen and Beyond

Over its production life, the CRJ series saw continuous improvements, including the "NextGen" designation which brought improved economics and a revised passenger cabin with larger entryways, lavatories, overhead bins, and enhanced lighting and cosmetics. These upgrades aimed to improve passenger experience and operational efficiency, keeping the CRJ competitive in a crowded regional aircraft market.

End of an Era, Enduring Legacy

In 2020, Bombardier Aerospace divested its commercial aircraft programs, and the Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation (MHIRJ) acquired the CRJ program. While Mitsubishi continues to provide parts and support for the vast global fleet, it announced the cessation of new CRJ aircraft production after fulfilling existing orders. The final CRJ, a CRJ900, was delivered to SkyWest Airlines in February 2021, marking the end of production for this iconic Canadian-designed regional jet family.

Despite the end of production, the CRJ700 family's legacy continues to fly. With hundreds of aircraft still in active service with regional carriers around the world, taking off or landing every few seconds, the CL-65 remains a workhorse of regional aviation, a testament to its robust design, operational efficiency, and critical role in connecting smaller communities to larger hubs.