The Bombardier CRJ100 and CRJ200 are a family of regional airliner manufactured by Bombardier, and based on the Canadair Challenger business jet.

The aircraft was based on the Canadair Challenger design, which was purchased by Canadair from Learjet in 1976.

The wide fuselage of the Challenger suggested early on to Canadair officials that it would be straightforward to stretch the aircraft to accommodate more seats, and there was a plan for a Challenger 610E, which would have had seating for 24 passengers. That lengthening didn't occur, the effort being canceled in 1981, but the idea didn't disappear.

In 1987, studies began for a much more ambitious stretched configuration, leading to the formal launch of the Canadair Regional Jet program in the spring of 1989. The "Canadair" name was retained despite the fact that Bombardier had bought out the company. The first of three development machines for the initial CRJ100 performed its first flight on 10 May 1991, though one of the prototypes was lost in a spin mishap in July 1993, The type obtained certification in late 1992, with initial delivery to customers late in that year.