Angolan Consortium Signs Firm Purchase Agreement for Six Bombardier Q400

Bombardier Commercial Aircraft announced last week that it has signed a firm purchase agreement for six new Q400 aircraft with African Aero Trading on behalf of the consortium forming Air Connection Express, Transportes Aereos S.A, based in Luanda, Republic of Angola.

Based on the list price of the Q400 aircraft, the firm order is valued at approximately US$ 198 million.

“We congratulate Air Connection Express as it launches its domestic air travel business, and are pleased that the Q400 has been selected to support regional air travel in Africa,” said Jean-Paul Boutibou, Vice President, Sales, Middle East and Africa, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “The Q400 has proven to be a key contributor to the growth of the network in the region, enhancing connectivity on routes that are not economically viable for larger aircraft. Today, more than 37 operators are flying the Q Series in Africa, and we look forward to adding Air Connection Express to the family of Q400 operators.”

Ethiopian Airlines Signs Purchase Agreement for 10 firm Q400 Aircraft

Bombardier Commercial Aircraft announced on Friday 27th April that it has concluded a firm order for 10 new Q400 aircraft with Ethiopian Airlines. The order also includes purchase rights for five additional Q400 aircraft.

Based on the list price of the Q400 aircraft, the firm order is valued at approximately $332 million U.S.

“The Bombardier turboprops continue to deliver unmatched performance to our operators, and we are proud that the flag carrier of Ethiopia is once again recognizing its tremendous value by increasing its fleet of Q400 aircraft,” said Fred Cromer, President, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “The market trend for high-performing and larger turboprops is intensifying, and this fifth reorder is a great example of the Q400 turboprop success story and the value it creates for clients around the world.”

The Q400 Turboprop was designed as a modern, 21st-century turboprop, the Q400 aircraft is the most recent development in the Q Series family of aircraft. It provides unmatched performance, operational flexibility and passenger comfort. In addition to the standard single-class configuration, Q400 aircraft are available with an optional dual-class interior for enhanced passenger comfort; in an optional extra-capacity configuration offering up to 90 seats for higher-density markets, and in a cargo-passenger combi configuration.

Chorus Aviation honoured with Bombardier's top Reliability Awards

Chorus Aviation announced today that its subsidiary, Jazz Aviation LP ('Jazz'), has once again been recognized for achieving superior reliability performance in 2017 at Bombardier's annual award ceremony for commercial aircraft operators held in Orlando, Florida on April 23, 2018.

"We are honoured to be the North American award winner in two categories of exceptional reliability performance," said Colin Copp, President, Jazz. "This recognition can be attributed to the exceptional expertise of Jazz Technical Services and Maintenance and Engineering teams, and their unrivalled experience with Bombardier regional aircraft as an Authorized Service Facility (ASF)."

Jazz is the North American recipient of Bombardier's 2017 Airline Reliability Performance Awards in two categories:

CRJ100/200 aircraft programs for North America

CRJ700/900/1000 aircraft programs for North America

49 Dead in Nepal Plane Crash

A Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 carrying 71 passengers and crew has crashed whilst landing at Nepal's Kathmandu airport, killing 49 people, according to police.

Rescuers raced to the scene and pulled bodies from the charred wreckage of the aircraft as a row has broken out between the airport and the airline.  The airline US-Bangla, from Bangladesh, has blamed air traffic control, however, according to reports, the airport claims the aircraft approached the airfield from the wrong direction.

The exact cause of the crash remains unclear, however, Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli promised an immediate investigation.  A recording of a conversation between air traffic control and the pilot shortly before the plane crashed seems to indicate some misunderstandings over which end of the runway the flight was cleared for landing on.  Moments before the plane crash-landed, an air traffic controller is heard in the recording leaked to the media by air traffic control, telling the pilot: "I say again, turn!"

According to local media, the Director General of the Nepalese Air Traffic Control, Sanjiv Gautam said "The aircraft was permitted to land from the southern side of the runway flying over Koteshwor, but it landed from the northern side,"

"We are yet to ascertain the reason behind the unusual landing."

However, Imran Asif,  chief executive of US-Bangla Airlines firmly blamed Kathmandu air traffic control. "There were wrong directions from the tower. Our pilot was not at fault," adding, "Our pilot is an instructor of this Bombardier aircraft. His flight hours are over 5,000. There was a fumble from the control tower."

From initial reports, it appears that the aircraft struck an airport perimeter fence before impacting with the ground.  Twenty-two people are being treated in hospital for injuries according to police spokesperson Manoj Neupane.  The aircraft was operating a flight the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka to Kathmandu.

It is now known that 33 of the passengers were Nepalis, 32 were Bangladeshi, one was Chinese and one was from the Maldives. Many of the 22 people injured and described as being in a critical condition.

Read on for details of recent air crashes in Nepal

Bombardier Presence at Singapore Airshow Underscores The Importance of the Asia-Pacific Region

Bombardier Commercial Aircraft will be displaying a Philippine Airlines dual-class 86-seat Q400 regional turboprop, as well as an airBaltic CS300 aircraft at the 2018 Singapore Airshow, which runs from February 6 to 11.  

“Asia-Pacific is a region of unmatched opportunities where Bombardier has recently gained significant momentum. The CS300 aircraft’s recent Asian commercial debut with Korean Air Lines highlights our breakthrough into the region’s fast-growing market,” said Fred Cromer, President, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “Passenger demand in the region is increasing fast, driving demand for more short-haul aircraft, more flight frequencies and more city pairs to increase connectivity. We are confident our product line-up will continue to be instrumental in supporting intra-regional growth, as well as further protecting passenger yields in the region.”

Conair to buy six Bombardier Q400 aircraft

Bombardier Specialized Aircraft announced today that Conair Group Inc., the world’s leading provider of fixed wing aerial firefighting aircraft, has purchased six Q400 aircraft. Based on the current list price, the firm order is valued at approximately $206 million US. Conair operates the world’s largest fleet of privately owned fixed-wing air tankers and supplies speciality aerial firefighting aircraft and products worldwide. These six Q400 production aircraft will be modified to incorporate an enhanced version of Conair’s proprietary Retardant Delivery System. In the Q400 Multirole configuration, the retardant tank can be removed and reinstalled in the field in a few hours. This enables the aircraft to efficiently perform additional roles in emergency response, passenger and cargo transport, medivac, and coastal patrol without compromising its exceptional firefighting capabilities.

“The enhanced Q400 Multirole has the most advanced air tanker capabilities of any aircraft in service today,” said Barry Marsden, Chairman & CEO, Conair. “The Q400 Multirole’s versatility delivers optimal value by accommodating year-round service in passenger, cargo, combi transport, medivac, emergency response, surveillance and patrol without compromising state-of-the-art air tanker capabilities.”

The first six aircraft to be supplied to Conair under its airtanker teaming agreement with BombardierAircraft will be modified to incorporate Conair’s proven Retardant Delivery System and interiors to accommodate passenger, cargo, combi, and medivac requirementsEnhanced Q400 Multirole aircraft will join Bombardier’s fleet of over 1,000 specialized aircraft operating around the world

“The Q400 Multirole delivers the efficiency, reliability, reduced downtime and low operating costs of the Q400 in a multi-role application. Combining turboprop economics and jet-like performance, the Q400 Multirole delivers exceptional value,” said Stéphane Leroy, Vice President, Bombardier Specialized Aircraft. “The Q400 Multirole is the ideal aircraft to meet Conair’s needs, offering a unique ability to serve diverse and challenging environments.”

Emergency landing at Warsaw's Chopin Airport

 Warsaw's Chopin Airport has been closed after an emergency landing by a LOT Polish Airlines aircraft blocks runway.

The aircraft was operating flight LO3924 coming inbound from Krakow when it landed without its nose gear descended and engaged.  There are no reports of injuries to either passengers or crew at this stage.

The Bombardier Q400 aircraft experienced problems with its nose gear and landed with it retracted. Passengers managed to escape the aircraft after it came to halt, blocking the runway at Chopin. Emergency crews from the airports' fire and rescue service were soon on the scene and no injuries are reported.. Passengers escape the aircraft which came to a halt on the runway

Lądowanie bez podwozia na lotnisku Chopina lot z Krakowa do Warszawy -koszmar!!!!! #Lot #chopinairport #warsaw pic.twitter.com/sWz1LxWU0H

— Rafał Brzoska (@RBrzoska) January 10, 2018

CemAir buys two Q400's

Bombardier Commercial Aircraft announced yesterday CemAir of South Africa has concluded a firm purchase agreement for two new Q400 turboprops, and has also signed the lease of a used Q400 aircraft that was delivered this month, paving the way for the new aircraft to be delivered afterwards. The letter of Intent (LOI) from CemAir, which was signed on June 21 at the 2017 Paris Air Show, has now been converted into a firm order.

Based on the list price of the Q400 aircraft, the firm order is valued at approximately $66 million US.

“We are delighted that CemAir has selected the Q400 aircraft to expand its fleet”, said Jean-Paul Boutibou, Vice President, Sales, Middle-East and Africa at Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “The Q400 is the next natural step in the growth of CemAir’s fleet of Bombardier CRJ Series and Q Series aircraft, as it brings more flexibility to increase the capacity on key routes while their aircraft’s superior performance and unbeatable economics support CemAir’s growing market position against competitive forces. The Q400 will open several market opportunities to CemAir on domestic and future regional routes.” 

Chorus Aviation announces leasing transaction with Ethiopian Airlines

Chorus Aviation announced this week agreements to purchase two new Bombardier Q400 aircraft and lease them to Ethiopian Airlines Group ('Ethiopian Airlines'). The aircraft will be purchased new from Bombardier by a subsidiary of Chorus Aviation Capital and are expected to be delivered and placed on lease to Ethiopian Airlines in December 2017.

"Ethiopian Airlines is a premier, award-winning international airline with a terrific history of innovation, growth and economic success. We are absolutely delighted to welcome them as a customer of Chorus Aviation Capital and look forward to building this important relationship," commented Steve Ridolfi, President Chorus Aviation Capital. "Ethiopian is one of the largest and most profitable airlines in Africa, a member of the Star Alliance airline network, and the winner of numerous awards for airline management and customer service. We are honoured to add them to our growing portfolio of regional aircraft lessees and very pleased to extend our global reach to our sixth continent: Africa," he added.

Bombardier & Spicejet Mega Q400 Order

Bombardier Commercial Aircraft announced on Friday 29th that it has concluded a firm purchase agreement with the Indian airline SpiceJet for up to 50 Q400 turboprop aircraft, making it the largest single order ever for the Q400.

This latest order for the popular Q400 turboprop takes the firm orders to over 600 aircraft and will mean Spicejet will be first in the world to operate a 90-seat turboprop. Subject to pending certification by regulatory authorities.

The purchase agreement includes 25 Q400 turboprops and purchase rights on an additional 25 aircraft. Based on list prices, the order is valued at up to US $ 1.7 billion.

“We are very proud to firm up this agreement with SpiceJet as it is another demonstration of the Q400’s unique versatility. This repeat order will not only increase the Q400 aircraft fleet in the fast-growing regional market in India and in the Asia-Pacific region but will also launch the high-density 90‑passenger model,” said Fred Cromer, President, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “This order confirms the airlines’ increased capacity needs on regional routes with high passenger demand and demonstrates the increased profitability potential that this unique turboprop configuration has to offer.”