Australian airline becomes 12th Q400 customer
Bombardier Aerospace announced today that Qantas Airways has placed a firm order for seven Bombardier Q400 high-speed turboprops on behalf of its QantasLink regional airline. The contract includes options and purchase rights on an additional ten Q400 aircraft. Qantas Airways is Australia’s premier airline and with this order becomes the newest operator of the Bombardier Q400.
The firm order contract is valued at approximately $168 million U.S. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2006.
“This investment marks a new era in regional air travel, with the Bombardier Q400 aircraft featuring jet-like speed and allowing QantasLink to grow capacity efficiently on key routes while maintaining frequency,” said Narendra Kumar, Executive General Manager, Regional Airlines at Qantas Airways. “Passenger acceptance of our current fleet of Bombardier Q Series has also been high – especially with the excellent Noise and Vibration Suppression (NVS) system in our newer Q200 and Q300 aircraft – so the Q400 was the obvious choice for the larger aircraft.”
“We are also impressed with the speed of the Bombardier Q400,” Mr. Kumar added. “This will enable QantasLink to reduce flight times and potentially operate additional frequencies on some sectors.”
“We welcome QantasLink as a new operator of the Bombardier Q400 aircraft. We are confident that the improved efficiency of the Bombardier Q400 will have a very positive impact on QantasLink’s operations,” said Steven Ridolfi, President, Bombardier Regional Aircraft. “The jet speed and comfort of the Q400 will benefit passengers, and its very low exhaust and noise emissions will make it a very environmentally friendly aircraft.”
QantasLink currently operates 34 Bombardier aircraft with a route network that reaches from Tasmania in the south to Horn Island in the north, spanning about 3,400 kilometres – the longest regional airline route network in the world. The airline operates approximately 2,000 flights a week to 49 domestic destinations.
The contract announced today increases firm orders for the Bombardier Q400 to 121 aircraft, with 88 in service with 10 operators in North America, Europe and the Asia/Pacific region.
About Bombardier
A world-leading manufacturer of innovative transportation solutions, from regional aircraft and business jets to rail transportation equipment, Bombardier Inc. is a global corporation headquartered in Canada. Its revenues for the fiscal year ended Jan. 31, 2004 were $15.5 billion US and its shares are traded on the Toronto and Frankfurt stock exchanges (BBD and BBDd.F). News and information are available at www.bombardier.com.
Bombardier, Q Series, Q300, Q200 and Q400 are trademarks of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries.
For information:
Bert Cruickshank
Bombardier Aerospace
(416) 375-3030
www.bombardier.com