- Number of airlines and other operators of Q400 and Q400 NextGen aircraft in Africa has grown to 15
Bombardier Aerospace and RwandAir of Kigali, Rwanda today celebrated the delivery of a dual-class Q400 NextGen turboprop airliner to the African airline. RwandAir’s order for the aircraft was announced on April 22, 2013.
Jean Paul Nyirubutama, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, RwandAir, accepted the aircraft during a delivery ceremony at Bombardier’s Toronto site where the Q400 NextGen aircraft is manufactured. The ceremony was attended by Bombardier Commercial Aircraft executives and many of the employees involved in the production of the aircraft.
“We have been eagerly awaiting the delivery of this superb dual-class, 67-seat aircraft,” said Mr. Nyirubutama. “By offering similar cabin amenities on the Q400 NextGen aircraft and on our recently acquired dual-class Bombardier CRJ900 NextGen regional jets, the two complementary aircraft types will provide seamless passenger service, permitting us to align our total fleet strategy towards a unified passenger experience.
“The Q400 NextGen aircraft will position us well to offer increased capacity on popular routes that have been opened and serviced with our 37-seat Bombardier Dash 8-200 aircraft and is the right aircraft to develop our growing domestic and regional markets. The Q400 NextGen aircraft’s modern cabin and superior performance will also help us build new markets where regional air service today is served by older-generation jets. The aircraft will firmly support RwandAir on our path towards growth and increased profitability,” added Mr. Nyirubutama.
“The Q400 NextGen turboprop has proven its capability, flexibility and ruggedness in many regions of the world and is operating with distinction in diverse environments. We are confident that it will serve RwandAir and its customers very well,” said Mike Arcamone, President, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “As one of our newest and fast-growing customers, RwandAir is serving Africa’s expanding domestic and international markets and we are delighted that another Bombardier aircraft will be used to further develop the airline’s network of short- and medium-haul destinations.”
RwandAir is now one of 15 operators of Q400 and Q400 NextGen aircraft in Africa, and its Q400 NextGen aircraft joins more than 55 Q400 and Q400 NextGen aircraft that are already in service, or ordered for operation, in 12 countries in Africa. RwandAir is also now the fourth airline operating the dual-class Q400 NextGen aircraft among the five customers that have ordered this configuration to date.
About Q400 and Q400 NextGen aircraft
Q400 and Q400 NextGen turboprops are the advanced successors to Bombardier’s Dash 8/Q-Series family of aircraft. Optimized for short-haul operations, the “comfortably greener” Q400 and Q400 NextGen aircraft are large, fast, quiet and fuel-efficient turboprops that provide an ideal balance of passenger comfort and operating economics with a reduced environmental footprint.
Bombardier has recorded firm orders for a total of 486 Q400 and Q400 NextGen aircraft. Worldwide, Q400 and Q400 NextGen aircraft have transported more than 295 million passengers and have logged over 4.7 million flight hours and more than 5 million take-offs and landings. The Q400 and Q400 NextGen aircraft program includes over 50 customers and operators in over 30 countries on five continents.
About RwandAir
Operating from Kigali as its hub in the heart of Africa, RwandAir is the fastest growing airline on the African continent. RwandAir's fleet currently consists of four Boeing 737 series aircraft and one Bombardier Dash 8-200 turboprop. Two brand new Bombardier CRJ900 NextGen regional jets arrived in November 2012. RwandAir serves domestic destinations and many regional cities such as Nairobi, Entebbe, Mombasa, Bujumbura, Dar es Salaam, and Kilimanjaro. The airline also serves Johannesburg, Dubai, Lagos, Libreville and Brazzaville. Service to Accra, Douala and Juba will start soon. The Q400 NextGen aircraft will be replacing the Dash 8-200 aircraft. Follow us on Twitter @RwandAir1 and website rwandair.com.
About Bombardier
Bombardier is the world’s only manufacturer of both planes and trains. Looking far ahead while delivering today, Bombardier is evolving mobility worldwide by answering the call for more efficient, sustainable and enjoyable transportation everywhere. Our vehicles, services and, most of all, our employees are what make us a global leader in transportation.
Bombardier is headquartered in Montréal, Canada. Our shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (BBD) and we are listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability World and North America Indexes. In the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013, we posted revenues of $18.2 billion. News and information are available at bombardier.com or follow us on Twitter @Bombardier.
Notes to Editors
- Photo 2: From top to bottom: Sergio Frias, Vice president, Contracts, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft; Jean Paul Nyirubutama, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, RwandAir; Shakila Umutoni, Chargée d'Affaires ad interim of Rwanda to Canada; and Anick Léger, Director, Sales for Africa and the Middle East, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft on the air-stair of RwandAir’s first Q400 NextGen aircraft.
- Photo 3: Sergo Frias (right) presents Jean Paul Nyirubutama, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, RwandAir with a commemorative signing document shortly after the delivery of RwandAir’s first dual-class configured Q400 NextGen aircraft.
- Images of Q400 NextGen aircraft in RwandAir’s livery and photos from today’s event are posted with this press release at www.bombardier.com.
- Additional information on the Q400 NextGen aircraft is available at www.q400nextgen.com.
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Bombardier, CRJ900, Dash 8, NextGen, Q400, Q-Series and The Evolution of Mobility are trademarks of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries.
For Information
Marc Duchesne Anna Fye
Bombardier Commercial Aircraft RwandAir Ltd
+1-416-375-3030 +250784873299