CASA 3000 Regional Airliner

[Kaiser]

During the early 1990s, Spanish aircraft manufacturer CASA (Construcciones Aeronáuticas S.A.) was a major contractor in the construction of the Saab 2000. Following favourable market studies, CASA decided to undertake joint vencture projects with both Saab and Ilyushin (which resulted in the Saab 340 and Il-114). After negotiations failed, CASA decided to develop their own 70-seat regional airliner on their own. By 1993, the definition phase of the CASA 3000 project had finished.

Unfortunately, by then many companies had released their own regional airliners, and the CASA 3000 project was eventually cancelled in 1994 after more recent studies concluded the place on the market for the CASA 3000 had signifficantly narrowed.

The project was supposed to last for 42 months, with a first flight in 1995 and release in 1996.


CASA 3000 displayed with the livery that appeared on the concept arts by CASA.


Blank livery

General characteristics (taken from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CASA_3000, in Spanish)

Capacity: single aisle, four-abreast, 68-78 passengers, 72 at 32-inch (81-cm) pitch
Length: 29.7 m (97 ft 5 in)
Wingspan: 27.67 m (90 ft 9 in)
Height: 8.68 m (28 ft 6 in)
Empty weight: 17,200 kg (37,920 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 28,300 kg (62,391 lb)
Powerplant: 2 × GMA AE 2100 class turboprop, 3,691 kW (4,950 hp) each at takeoff

Cruise speed: 648 km/h (403 mph; 350 kn)
Range: 1,402 km (871 mi; 757 nmi)

[Cargil48]

Had the project survived (just like the Saab 2000 btw) ATR and Bombardier had both now a fierce competition... A cruise speed of some 650 kmh is on shorter routes almost negiglible in respect to the jets and the economical aspect quite significant, I'd say.