In
September 2012, Addis Ababa based Ethiopian Airlines
became the first airline to take delivery of Q400
NextGen turboprop airliners outfitted with a dual-class
configuration on Bombardier’s production line. The five
airliners that were ordered have been delivered and have
entered service with Ethiopian Airlines and its
affiliate, ASKY Airlines of Togo. The new configuration
featuring seven business class and 60 economy seats;
fore and aft lavatories; and a galley outfitted to
provide cold and hot meals demonstrates the flexibility
of the Q400 NextGen aircraft’s passenger cabin. The new
configuration has also provided the airlines with
increased cargo capacity.
Currently, Q400 and Q400 NextGen aircraft operators
spanning the globe, including Japan Air Commuter,
India’s SpiceJet, Eurolot of Poland, Luxembourg’s Luxair,
as well as Republic Airlines and the Department of
Justice in the U.S., have selected the increasingly
popular Q400 Smart Parts program.
The pioneering Smart Parts program has been providing
cost protection and budget predictability for
Bombardier’s business aircraft customers for more than
25 years. There are currently approximately 1,200
Bombardier business aircraft enrolled, covering over
80,000 components. Bombardier introduced the Smart Parts
program for the Q400 aircraft in March 2008.
Q400 and Q400 NextGen turboprop airliners are the
advanced successors to Bombardier’s Dash 8/Q-Series
family of aircraft. Optimized for short-haul operations,
the “comfortably greener,” 70 to 80 seat Q400 aircraft
is a large, fast, quiet and fuel-efficient turboprop. It
provides an ideal balance of passenger comfort and
operating economics with a reduced environmental
footprint.
Bombardier has booked firm orders for 463 Q400 and
Q400 NextGen turboprops, and delivered aircraft are
in service with more than 40 operators in over 30
countries, on five continents. These aircraft have
transported more than 243 million passengers and
have logged more than 3.8 million flight hours and
over 4.1 million take-offs and landings.
|