New | Bombardier C Series jet to debut at Paris Air Show

Bombardier's C Series passenger jet will finally debut at the Paris Air Show this month, but the event will also let the Canadian company show off what may be an even more important asset: its new management team.

With the C Series nearing certification by regulators after years of delays and cost overruns, Paris offers an opportunity for Bombardier to improve a weak order book by clinching new sales, or at least laying the groundwork for future deals.

The event is also a debut of sorts for the company's new chief executive, Alain Bellemare, and the team he has assembled to get the C Series programme back on track.

The company has not announced a single firm C Series order since September last year, and none of the tentative orders announced around last year's Farnborough International Air Show in Britain have been converted to firm orders.

Analysts have long urged Bombardier to be more aggressive to win orders, offering risky walk-away rights and other allowances that could see the programme losing money for years.

"This is a long game, and you had the old management just in complete denial," said Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace analyst with Teal Group. "What you've got is a management team that now recognises market reality. You want a strategic win? It's going to cost you."