Tag Archives: Bombardier DHC-8-400

Bombardier delivers the first 86-seat Q400 to Nok Air

Bombardier Commercial Aircraft (Montreal and Toronto) and Nok Air (Bangkok, Thailand) announced the delivery of the carrier’s first 86-seat Q400 NextGen turboprop at Bombardier’s facility in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where the aircraft is manufactured. The milestone aircraft, the first Q400 NextGen airliner to be delivered in the new extra capacity seating configuration, is part of Nok Air’s purchase agreement for up to eight Q400 NextGen airliners that was announced on November 19, 2013. Following the exercise of options and purchase rights, Nok Air has firm orders for six Q400 NextGen aircraft and retains two purchase rights from the original contract.

Nok Air means Bird Air is the Thai language.

Update: GE Capital Aviation Services Limited (GECAS), the commercial aircraft leasing arm of GE, announced it added a new aircraft type to its owned fleet with the completion of a purchase-and-leaseback transaction with Nok Air involving two new Bombardier Q400 NextGen turboprops.

The first aircraft delivered to Nok Air on August 26, 2014 and the second is scheduled for delivery in September 2014.

Copyright Photo: TMK Photography/AirlinersGallery.com. Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) C-GWKW (msn 4455) became HS-DQA on the hand over yesterday (August 27).

Nok Air:

EuroLOT to start four new routes from Warsaw

EuroLOT (eurolot.com) (Warsaw) will start four new routes from Warsaw on October 26; Chisinau, Cluj/Napoca (October 27), Stuttgart and Zagreb per Airline Route.

EuroLOT:

Routes from Warsaw:

Horizon Air to operate seasonal flights from Las Vegas to Mammoth Lakes, California

Horizon Air (Alaska Horizon) (Seattle/Tacoma) will operate seasonal service between Las Vegas and Mammoth Lakes, California.

Horizon Air’s nonstop flight from Las Vegas to Mammoth Lakes will operate on Mondays and Thursdays between January 15 and April 6, 2015.

Horizon Air will operate the flights with the Bombardier DHC-8-402 (marketed as the Q400) turboprop aircraft on the new route.

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Horizon Air now spreads its wings from Alaska to the U.S. Southwest. Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) N443QX (man 4353) in the University of Alaska Seawolves college motif departs from Anchorage.

Alaska Horizon (Horizon Air):

AAIB: Flybe captain’s prosthetic arm became detached resulting in a hard landing

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) of the United Kingdom has issued its report on the hard landing of Flybe‘s (Exeter) Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) G-JECJ (man 4110) on February 12, 2014 at Belfast City Airport, Northern Ireland with 47 passengers and four crew members:

Synopsis:

During the landing flare, in gusty conditions, the commander’s prosthetic arm became detached, control was lost, and a heavy landing resulted.

History of the flight

The aircraft was on a scheduled commercial air transport flight from Birmingham to Belfast City, with the commander, in the left flight deck seat, as pilot flying. It was night, and although there was no low cloud affecting the airport, the wind at Belfast was a strong west-south-westerly, gusting up to 48 kt. Before the approach, the commander checked that his prosthetic lower left arm was securely attached to the yoke clamp which he used to fly the aircraft, with the latching device in place.

Although gusts over the crosswind limit for the aircraft were reported, the final wind report from ATC was within the limit, and the approach continued. The commander disconnected the autopilot and flew the aircraft manually. As he made the flare manoeuvre, with somewhat more than flight idle torque still applied, his prosthetic limb became detached from the yoke clamp, depriving him of control of the aircraft. He made a rapid assessment of the situation and considered alerting the co-pilot and instructing him to take control. However, because the co-pilot would have had little time to assimilate the information necessary to take over in the challenging conditions, the commander concluded that his best course of action was to move his right hand from the power levers onto the yoke to regain control. He did this, but with power still applied, and possibly a gust affecting the aircraft, a normal touchdown was followed by a bounce, from which the aircraft landed heavily.

Safety action

The commander commented that he would in future be more cautious about checking the attachment on his prosthesis, as his check may have dislodged the latching mechanism; that he would brief his co-pilots about the possibility of a similar event; and that they should be ready to take control at any time.

Copyright Photo: Antony J. Best/AirlinersGallery.com. Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) G-JECJ (msn 4110) lands at Southampton.

Flybe:

QANTAS unveils a new Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander special livery

QANTAS Airways (Sydney) has unveiled a new Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander special color scheme on Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) VH-LQM (msn 4450) operated by QANTAS Link partner Sunstate Airlines: QANTAS issued this statement and photos:

QANTAS has joined the movement to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the Australian Constitution by unveiling a new QANTAS Link Q400 aircraft showcasing a large RECOGNISE logo on its livery.

In addition to the aircraft livery unveiled at today’s event, QANTAS Link will soon embark on displaying a smaller version of the RECOGNISE logo on its entire fleet of 31 Q400 aircraft, ensuring the message is spread across the country.

About RECOGNISE

RECOGNISE is the movement of Australians campaigning for the recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the Australian Constitution and to ensure there is no place for discrimination in our founding document. The movement has wide support from across the political spectrum and in the Australian community from grassroots supporters and many major institutions, non-government organisations, companies, sporting codes and faith groups.

About QANTAS’ commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians:

QANTAS has a longstanding commitment to value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage, cultures and peoples and to recognise the original custodians of Australia. A Reconciliation Action Plan has been in place since 2007 and QANTAS currently holds partnerships with the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence, Career Trackers, Bangarra Dance Theatre, Clontarf, the Indigenous Marathon Project, Supply Nation, Engineering Aid Australia, Jawun, Lirrwi Yolngu Tourism Aboriginal Corporation, the Yothu Yindi Foundation, the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation and RECOGNISE.

QANTAS Airways:

Tyrolean Airways to operate a Bombardier Q400 for Swiss for the domestic Zurich-Lugano route

Austrian Airlines (Vienna) took delivery of its 15th Bombardier DHC-8-402 (OE-LGO, msn 4281) on July 21. The turboprop is operated by lower-cost Tyrolean Airways under the Tyrolean AOC and the Austrian brand.

The group has announced it will operate the type on a wet lease basis for fellow Lufthansa Group carrier Swiss International Air Lines (Zurich) on a Swiss domestic route starting on November 1 between the Swiss hub at Zurich and Lugano. In the future, four flights each day will be operated on this route. By deploying the larger aircraft, Swiss will be able to increase its capacity on the route by 50 percent.

With the arrival of OE-LGO, the fleet of the Austrian Airlines Group will reach a total of 76 aircraft. All but one Austrian-titled aircraft is operated by Tyrolean Airways.

Copyright Photo: Paul Bannwarth/AirlinersGallery.com. Sister-ship Bombardier DHC-8-402 (marketed as the Q400) OE-LGD (msn 4027) lands at Basel/Mulhouse/Freiburg (BSL).

Austrian Airlines:

US-Bangla Airlines starts operations on July 17

US-Bangla Airlines (Dhaka) is a new airline in Bangladesh. The new airline commenced operations on July 17 with two Bombardier DHC-8-402s (Q400s). The company is a subsidiary of the US-Bangla Group, a United States-Bangladesh joint venture company.

Daily flights were launched from Dhaka to Chittagong and Jessore. Services to Barisal, Sylhet, Cox’s Bazar, Saidpur and Rajshahi are being planned.

Copyright Photo: US-Bangla Airlines. The pictured Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) S2-AGV (msn 4044) is the first aircraft for the new airline.

Route Map:

Video: The first US-Bangla TV advertisement:

Nok Air converts two Bombardier Q400 purchase rights to firm orders

Nok Air (Bangkok) has converted two of four previously acquired Q400 NextGen aircraft purchase rights to firm orders. The purchase rights were acquired under a contract announced on November 19, 2013 that also included two firm-ordered aircraft and two options, which were converted to firm orders on March 31, 2014.

Nok Air is the launch customer for the new extra capacity seating option of the Q400 NextGen turboprop. This option will allow the aircraft to accommodate up to 86 passengers and offer an advantage of up to 7 per cent fuel burn per seat, as well as an overall operating seat cost advantage of up to 17 percent compared to its closest turboprop competitor.

Image: Bombardier.

Nok Air:

Horizon Air orders another Bombardier Q400, Bombardier to maintain Horizon’s 52 Q400s

Bombardier Aerospace (Montreal) announced today that Horizon Air Industries, Inc. (Horizon Air) (Alaska Horizon) (Seattle/Tacoma) has signed a firm purchase agreement for one Bombardier DHC-8-402 (marketed as the Q400 NextGen) turboprop airliner. The airline retains its options on another seven Q400 NextGen aircraft as announced previously. Additionally, Bombardier and Horizon Air confirmed they have signed a five-year heavy maintenance agreement whereby Bombardier will perform heavy maintenance tasks for the airline’s fleet of 52 Q400 aircraft at Bombardier’s service centre in Tucson, Arizona.

Based on the list price of the Q400 NextGen aircraft, the aircraft agreement is valued at approximately $32.6 million US.

Established in 1981, Horizon Air was acquired in 1986 by Alaska Air Group, Inc., the parent company of Alaska Airlines. At its start, the airline operated two aircraft and served three destinations in Washington state. Today, Horizon flies 51 76-seat Q400 aircraft on behalf of Alaska Airlines and serves 43 cities in the western United States, Canada and Mexico.

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) N407QX (msn 4049) in the special University of Oregon Ducks livery prepares to land at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

Alaska Horizon:

Horizon Air:

SkyWork Airlines is coming to Southend Airport

SkyWork Airlines (Bern) is adding a new destination in the London area for winter schedule effective on October 26. Bern Airport will be connected twice a day with London’s “sixth airport”, customer friendly London Southend Airport. The aircraft departs from Bern at 6.45 am (0645) local time. The evening flight from Southend to Bern leaves at 8.00 pm (2000) local time. Dornier 328-100 aircraft will be operated on the route.

Other destinations for the winter include Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Hamburg, Vienna and Palma de Majorca which is operated seasonally on weekends. There will be a reduction in the number of weekly flight for these routes.

Copyright Photo: Rolf Wallner/AirlinersGallery.com. SkyWork Airlines is planning phase out its last remaining Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) (HB-JGA). HB-JGA (msn 4198) taxies at Zurich.

SkyWork Airlines: