Is the Bombardier CRJ safe?

The CRJ family has a reasonable safety record for a type that has operated millions of regional flights. The two deadliest accidents — China Eastern 5210 (55 fatalities, 2004) and Comair 5191 (49, 2006) — were caused by winter ground operations failures and wrong-runway departure respectively, not airframe defects. The CRJ-700 and -900 series have a cleaner record than the original 50-seat variants.

How many fatal Bombardier CRJ accidents have there been?

The CRJ family has been involved in a small number of fatal hull-loss accidents across its 30-year service history. The most significant were China Eastern 5210 (55 fatalities, 2004), Comair 5191 (49, 2006), and Pinnacle 3701 (2 fatalities, 2004). The CRJ-700 and -900 have not been involved in fatal hull losses.

Which airline has the largest CRJ fleet?

SkyWest Airlines is the world's largest CRJ operator, with over 200 CRJ-700s and CRJ-900s operating under the Delta Connection, United Express, and Alaska Eagle brands. Endeavor Air (a Delta subsidiary) is the largest CRJ-900 operator. Iberia Express is the largest European CRJ-1000 operator.

What's the difference between the CRJ-700 and CRJ-900?

The CRJ-900 is a stretched CRJ-700, carrying 76-90 passengers versus 64-78 for the -700. The -900 has reinforced structure and landing gear to handle the higher weights; range is similar at around 1,350-1,530 nm. Both variants share a common type rating, enabling CRJ-qualified pilots to fly either aircraft with minimal additional training.

How many seats does a Bombardier CRJ have?

The original CRJ-100 and CRJ-200 seat exactly 50 passengers in a 1-2 arrangement. The CRJ-700 seats 64-78, the CRJ-900 seats 76-90, and the CRJ-1000 seats 97-104. The CRJ-550 is a special low-density variant of the CRJ-700 configured for 50 passengers with premium seating, operated by United Express and Delta Connection.

When was the Bombardier CRJ introduced?

The CRJ-100 entered commercial service with Lufthansa CityLine in November 1992. The CRJ-200 (upgraded engines) followed in 1995. The larger CRJ-700 series entered service with Brit Air in 2001, the CRJ-900 with Mesa Air in 2003, and the CRJ-1000 with Brit Air in 2010. MHI RJ acquired the programme from Bombardier in 2020.

Bombardier CRJ (all variants) — flights, routes and airlines

Every city pair operated by the Bombardier CRJ (all variants) worldwide. Live schedule data, recent safety events, and operator details.

The Bombardier CRJ (all variants) is operated by 17 airlines across 1507 city pairs in our observed-flights dataset (last 14 days).

Top routes: ABE-CLT, ABR-MSP, AEX-DFW, AGS-ATL, AGS-DCA.

Variants and specifications

Variant	First flight	Typical seats	Range (nm)	Status
CRJ-100	1991	50	1500	out of production
CRJ-200	1995	50	1650	out of production
CRJ-700	1999	64-78	1530	in service
CRJ-900	2001	76-90	1350	in service
CRJ-1000	2008	97-104	1350	in service

Notable accidents and incidents

2004-11-21 China Eastern 5210 China Eastern Airlines CRJ-200ER 55 fatalities

Crashed into a lake in Baotou's Nanhai Park shortly after takeoff; frost contamination on the wings caused a stall because no de-icing had been performed despite the aircraft being parked overnight in sub-zero temperatures. 53 occupants and 2 people on the ground were killed.
2006-08-27 Comair 5191 Comair CRJ-100 49 fatalities

Took off from Runway 26 at Lexington, Kentucky — a short, unlit runway not authorised for commercial use — instead of the assigned Runway 22; the aircraft could not become airborne before the runway end and crashed. 47 passengers and 2 of 3 crew were killed; the sole survivor was the first officer.
2004-10-14 Pinnacle 3701 Pinnacle Airlines CRJ-200ER 2 fatalities

Crew on a repositioning flight climbed the aircraft to its maximum operating altitude of 41,000 ft, causing both engines to flame out due to low airspeed at high altitude; neither engine could be restarted and the aircraft crashed near Jefferson City, Missouri. Both pilots were killed; no passengers were on board.

About the Bombardier CRJ Family

The Bombardier CRJ (Canadair Regional Jet) was derived from the Canadair Challenger 600 business jet and first flew as the CRJ-100 on 10 May 1991. It entered service with Lufthansa CityLine in November 1992 and transformed regional aviation in North America, enabling scope-clause-compliant 50-seat jet service on thousands of thin routes previously served only by turboprops.

The larger CRJ-700 (2001), CRJ-900 (2003), and CRJ-1000 (2010) series extended the family's range and capacity while retaining type-rating commonality. MHI RJ Aviation Group (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries) acquired the CRJ programme from Bombardier in 2020; production has since concluded. As of 2025 SkyWest Airlines is the world's largest CRJ operator with over 200 CRJ-700s and CRJ-900s, followed by Endeavor Air. The CRJ-200 fleet is rapidly retiring in the US, while the CRJ-900 remains a primary regional workhorse for Delta Connection and United Express carriers.

Bombardier CRJ (all variants) — safety & facts

Safety record

Recorded occurrences: 57
Hull losses: 0
Fatal accidents: 2
Total fatalities: 20
Records span: 1998–2026

Based on 57 occurrences across NTSB, ASN, MAK, ATSB & Wikidata records. See full safety record →

Key facts

Manufacturer: Bombardier
Typical seats: 50-104 pax
Range: 4,650 km
First flight: 1991-05

Recent fatal hull loss: 2026-03-22 View full safety record →

Color reflects time since the last recorded fatal hull-loss involving this type, drawn from public datasets (NTSB, Aviation Safety Network, Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives, Wikidata). It is not a commercial safety rating and does not normalise for flights flown, hours, or fleet size — for those, see the manufacturer or IATA Safety Report.

Notable events

2025-01-29 — American Eagle, opb PSA Airlines — 67 fatalities. Source.
2024-07-24 — Saurya Airlines — 18 fatalities. Source.
2026-03-22 — Air Canada Express, opb Jazz Aviation — 2 fatalities. Source.

Recent airline activity

Observed 1830 active routes flown by 16 airlines in the last 30 days.

Operators: SkyWest (579), JIA (288), EDV (232), Air Canada Jazz (109), Scandinavian Airlines (108)

Top routes: ORF–CLT, PHL–ILM, PNS–PHL, LAX–SJC, OMA–LGA

Based on live ADS-B observations collected by FlightFinder, as of 2026-06-04.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Bombardier CRJ safe?: The CRJ family has a reasonable safety record for a type that has operated millions of regional flights. The two deadliest accidents — China Eastern 5210 (55 fatalities, 2004) and Comair 5191 (49, 2006) — were caused by winter ground operations failures and wrong-runway departure respectively, not airframe defects. The CRJ-700 and -900 series have a cleaner record than the original 50-seat variants.
How many fatal Bombardier CRJ accidents have there been?: The CRJ family has been involved in a small number of fatal hull-loss accidents across its 30-year service history. The most significant were China Eastern 5210 (55 fatalities, 2004), Comair 5191 (49, 2006), and Pinnacle 3701 (2 fatalities, 2004). The CRJ-700 and -900 have not been involved in fatal hull losses.
Which airline has the largest CRJ fleet?: SkyWest Airlines is the world's largest CRJ operator, with over 200 CRJ-700s and CRJ-900s operating under the Delta Connection, United Express, and Alaska Eagle brands. Endeavor Air (a Delta subsidiary) is the largest CRJ-900 operator. Iberia Express is the largest European CRJ-1000 operator.
What's the difference between the CRJ-700 and CRJ-900?: The CRJ-900 is a stretched CRJ-700, carrying 76-90 passengers versus 64-78 for the -700. The -900 has reinforced structure and landing gear to handle the higher weights; range is similar at around 1,350-1,530 nm. Both variants share a common type rating, enabling CRJ-qualified pilots to fly either aircraft with minimal additional training.
How many seats does a Bombardier CRJ have?: The original CRJ-100 and CRJ-200 seat exactly 50 passengers in a 1-2 arrangement. The CRJ-700 seats 64-78, the CRJ-900 seats 76-90, and the CRJ-1000 seats 97-104. The CRJ-550 is a special low-density variant of the CRJ-700 configured for 50 passengers with premium seating, operated by United Express and Delta Connection.
When was the Bombardier CRJ introduced?: The CRJ-100 entered commercial service with Lufthansa CityLine in November 1992. The CRJ-200 (upgraded engines) followed in 1995. The larger CRJ-700 series entered service with Brit Air in 2001, the CRJ-900 with Mesa Air in 2003, and the CRJ-1000 with Brit Air in 2010. MHI RJ acquired the programme from Bombardier in 2020.

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