The Bombardier C Series CS100 completed its first revenue service into London City Airport with a flight by Swiss International Airlines from Zurich, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft announced Tuesday. Plans called for a Swiss CS100 to operate regularly from Zurich starting August 8, and from the airline’s main hub in Geneva starting next summer.

"As part of our fleet modernization plan, we are gradually replacing the Avro aircraft with the C Series and today we start with our CS100 flight operations from Zurich to London City as the world's first airline,” said Swiss C Series fleet chief Peter Koch. “We are excited to offer our guests the benefits of the C Series such as more comfort on this important route.”

The C Series now ranks as the largest, longest-range passenger aircraft certified to operate from London City Airport, flying 2,228 nautical miles in a single-class configuration. It can also fly nonstop from London City to New York in an all-business-class configuration.

The CS100 gained Transport Canada and European Aviation Safety Agency approval to fly into and out of the steep-approach, noise- and obstacle-limited runway at London City. The approval effectively more than doubled the range an aircraft can viably fly from the docklands airport, according to C Series program chief Rob Dewar.

Bombardier vice president of product development and chief engineer François Caza attributed the CS100’s ability to gain the certification largely to its use of the latest technology in aural and head-up display systems. 

Steep takeoff and approach requirements at London City call for a 5.5 degree glideslope, and Bombardier had to test and validate the C Series to 8.5 degrees to qualify to operate there. In its full dual-class 108-seat cabin layout, the CS100 can fly some 2,350 nautical miles into and out of the field. It can reach New York from LCY in a 42-passenger configuration. British Airways’ Airbus A318 flies 36 passengers on that route with a stop in Shannon, Ireland, for refueling. Late last summer it cut the frequency on the route from twice to once a day.