Republic Airlines enrolls record fleet of 32 aircraft in Q400 Smart Parts Program

• Complements exclusive nine-year heavy maintenance agreement signed earlier this year
• Republic joins six other operators of Q400 aircraft spanning the globe who have chosen Bombardier’s Smart Parts cost protection program in 2012

Bombardier Aerospace announced today that Indianapolis-based Republic Airlines is the latest airline to enrol in Bombardier’s Q400 Smart Parts cost protection program. The customized Smart Parts agreement, covering Republic’s 32 Q400 aircraft, firms up the agreement in principle announced earlier this year in conjunction with an exclusive maintenance contract for the same aircraft with work performed at Bombardier’s award-winning Macon, Georgia and Tucson, Arizona service centres.

The long-term Q400 Smart Parts agreement with Republic is customized for inventory management and expedient access to parts for its Q400 aircraft fleet.

“Bombardier is pleased to have Republic’s vote of confidence in the Q400 Smart Parts program”, said Éric Martel, President, Bombardier Customer Services & Specialized and Amphibious Aircraft. “Regional carriers like Republic recognize the role Bombardier can play in ensuring the highest reliability and lowest life cycle costs for their fleet of turboprops, creating a win-win situation for both the airline and its customers”.

“The proven track record of the Q400 Smart Parts program offers Republic improved cost predictability and component availability,” said Lars-Erik Arnell, Senior Vice President, Corporate Development, Republic Airways when announcing the new affiliation. “We look forward to fully realizing the benefits of this program for our operations.” 

Bombardier introduced the Smart Parts program for its Q400 aircraft in March 2008.

“The Smart Parts program provides a variety of options to help airlines manage both operational and parts maintenance costs,” said Gary Martin, Vice President, Sales, Marketing and Service Programs, Customer Services, Bombardier Aerospace. “This flexibility and range have fueled interest in the Q400 Smart Parts program and enrollment has quadrupled in the past year.”

Q400 aircraft operators including India’s SpiceJet, Eurolot of Poland, Luxembourg’s Luxair, Canada’s Jazz Aviation, Japan Air Commuter and the Department of Justice of the U.S. have selected the popular Q400 Smart Parts program for optimal maintenance and support solutions. 

About Q400 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 460 Q400 aircraft and delivered aircraft are in service with more than 40 operators worldwide. Q400 aircraft have transported more than 243 million passengers and have logged some 3.7 million flight hours and over 4.0 million take-offs and landings.

About Republic Airways Holdings
Republic Airways Holdings Inc., based in Indianapolis, Indiana, is an airline holding company that owns Chautauqua Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Republic Airlines and Shuttle America, collectively “the airlines.”  The airlines offer scheduled passenger service on nearly 1,500 flights daily to 132 cities in 43 states, The Bahamas, Canada, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Mexico under branded operations at Frontier, and through fixed-fee airline services agreements with five major U.S. airlines.  The fixed-fee flights are operated under an airline partner brand, such as AmericanConnection, Continental Express, Delta Connection, United Express, and US Airways Express. The airlines currently employ approximately 10,000 aviation professionals and operate 278 aircraft.

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, 2011, we posted revenues of $18.3 billion USD. News and information are available at bombardier.com or follow us on Twitter @Bombardier.

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