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Bombardier's Wide-Seat Plane Takes Off for Delta and Swiss Air

A new jetliner with wider passenger seats is wowing airplane fans at the Farnborough Airshow in the U.K. this week.
Image: Journalists sit aboard Lufthansa unit Swiss International Air Lines new Bombardier CS100 aircraft at Zurich airport
Journalists sit aboard Lufthansa unit Swiss International Air Lines new Bombardier CS100 aircraft during a media presentation at Zurich airport, Switzerland July 6, 2016.Arnd Wiegmann / REUTERS
/ Source: CNBC.com

A new jetliner with wider passenger seats is wowing airplane fans at the Farnborough Airshow in the U.K. this week.

A Bombardier C-Series CS-100, operated by Swiss Air, is taking to the skies for a demonstration flight at the annual aerospace showcase Monday.

According to Bombardier, the window and aisle seats in the plane are 18.5 inches wide, while the middle seat is 19 inches wide, offering nearly 2 inches more room than found on similar-sized planes built by Boeing and Airbus.

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Alain Bellemare, CEO of Bombardier, says the concept of a 3-plus-2 seat aisle was about improved customer experience.

"We wanted people to feel good about flying the aircraft. The concept was to provide a bit more room for people in the middle seat and the good news is we only have one middle seat," he told CNBC Monday.

Bellemare also believes the wider aisle layout will allow for quicker embarking and disembarking of passengers.

The CS-100, which can fly between 108 to 133 passengers, also comes equipped with taller lavatories than typically found on commercial jet liners.

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In April this year, Bombardier confirmed in a press release that Delta Airlines is to buy 75 CS-100 aircraft with an option to purchase 50 more.

Based on the list price of the CS-100 aircraft, the firm order is valued at approximately $5.6 billion.

The plane's development has run late, weighing on Bombardier's stock price and triggering the replacement of most of its executive team.