Tag Archives: Bombardier DHC-8-400

Flybe expands operations at Birmingham to become the largest base

Flybe (Exeter) on April 10 celebrated the inaugural flight of eight new routes to operate from Birmingham Airport with passengers taking off to Cologne/Bonn on the carrier’s distinctive Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) signature purple aircraft (above).

On the same day, Flybe also took off on the first of its daily flights to Florence – the first time ever this route has been offered out of Birmingham. This was followed on April 11 with the airline’s inaugural flight to Porto (four days a week) and its four-days weekly service to Alicante (started on April 12).

The remaining four of Flybe’s new routes from Birmingham will take off in May, with Bordeaux, Palma de Mallorca and Toulouse starting on May 13 and Newquay on May 16.

The airline will also operate nonstop service from Birmingham to Ibiza (three days a week) and Keflavik (three days a week) from June 29 through September 7.

With a record 12 aircraft based at the airport, Birmingham has become Flybe’s largest base. This summer, it will be operating 32 routes to and from Birmingham with a total choice of up to 381 return flights a week.

Copyright Photo: Nik French/AirlinersGallery.com. The “Purple Plane”, namely Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) G-JECY (msn 4157), completes its final approach into Manchester International Airport (MAN).

Flybe:

Routes from Birmingham:

Horizon Air’s dispatchers approve the new contract

Horizon Air (Alaska Horizon) (Seattle/Tacoma) and the Transport Workers Union have jointly announced that the carrier’s 17 dispatchers have ratified a new four-year contract by a ratio of 82 percent.

Horizon Air and TWU reached tentative agreement on a new contract on March 19.

Under the Railway Labor Act, which governs collective bargaining agreements in the airline industry, contracts do not expire. Instead they become amendable. The ratified agreement for Horizon’s dispatchers becomes amendable on August 26, 2018.

Horizon Air is a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group and flies to 39 cities across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) N400QX (msn 4030) in the special Idaho Vandals livery arrives in Los Angeles.

Alaska Horizon:

Horizon Air:

Nok Air converts two Bombardier Q400s to firm orders

Nok Air (Bangkok) of Thailand has converted two previously booked Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) NextGen aircraft options to firm orders. The options were acquired under a contract announced on November 19, 2013 that also included two firm-ordered aircraft and four purchase rights. At that time, Bombardier also confirmed that Nok Air would be the launch customer for the new extra capacity seating option of the Q400 NextGen turboprop that will allow the aircraft to accommodate up to 86 passengers.

Image: Bombardier.

Nok Air:

Island Air will again operate the Bombardier Q400, orders two

Hawaii Island Air, Inc. (Island Air) (Honolulu) has placed a firm order for two Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) NextGen turboprop airliners and has also taken options for four additional Q400 NextGen aircraft. The aircraft will be delivered with a dual-class, 71-seat configuration. Island Air is Hawaii’s leading regional airline and second oldest carrier.

Island Air previously operated the type briefly in the past.

Image: Bombardier.

Island Air:

WestJet converts options for five additional Bombardier Q400s

WestJet (Calgary) today announced it has converted five of its 25 options to firm orders for Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) NextGen aircraft, scheduled for delivery in the second half of 2015. The first of the five will arrive in June 2015.

With the conversion of these options, WestJet will have a fleet of 25 Bombardier Q400s by the end of 2015. The airline has further options for 20 more Bombardier Q400 NextGen aircraft between 2016 and 2018.

The aircraft will be operated by subsidiary WestJet Encore.

WestJet:

Video: Amateur video of a WestJet Encore flight from takeoff in Fort St. John to landing in Calgary:

airBaltic to launch a new route from Riga to Bucharest, Romania on June 3

airBaltic (Riga) on June 3, 2014, will launch a new route between Riga, Latvia and the Romanian capital of Bucharest.

airBaltic will fly from Riga to Bucharest four times a week on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Passengers will board a Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) NextGen aircraft for a flight that will last for 2 hours 55 minutes.

Top Copyright Photo: Tony Storck/AirlinersGallery.com. Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) YL-BAX (msn 4324) departs from Berlin (Tegel).

airBaltic:

Bottom Copyright Photo: airBaltic.

Current routes from Riga:

QANTAS announces five new Link destinations

QANTAS Airways (Sydney) has announced a number of new regional routes, providing customers with direct services to five new destinations on its domestic network.

Through better utilization of aircraft, QANTAS will provide customers with access to the following new routes: Brisbane to Port Macquarie, Melbourne to Coffs Harbour, Sydney to Hervey Bay, Sydney to Hamilton Island and Brisbane to Miles.

Domestic Routes

Copyright Photo: Keith Burton/AirlinersGallery.com. Sunstate Airlines‘ Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) VH-LQM (msn 4450) departs from Sydney.

QANTAS Airways:

QANTAS Link-Sunstate Airlines:

EuroLOT adds the Gdansk-Brussels route

EuroLOT (eurolot.com) (Warsaw) on March 4 started operations into Brussels from Gdansk, Poland.

Since February 28, EuroLOT passengers can also fly to Milan from Gdansk Airport with stopovers in Lublin. The connection will be operated twice a week – on Fridays and Sundays.

EuroLOT:

Routes from Gdansk:

RwandAir takes delivery of its first Bombardier Q400

RwandAir (Kigali, Rwand) and Bombardier Yesterday (February 27) celebrated the delivery of a dual-class Bombardier DHC-8-402 (9XR-WL, msn 4464) (marketed as the Q400). RwandAir’s order for the aircraft was announced on April 22, 2013.

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.

In other news, RwandAir will launch a new route to Doula, Cameroon on March 30, 2014 with four weekly flights departing Kigali every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

RwandAir will operate the new with the new Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft equipped with 7 Business Class and 68 Economy Class seats. The aircraft also operates daily services to Nairobi, Entebbe, Dar es Salaam, Bujumbura and Brazzaville via Kigali.

All images and photos by RwandAir.

Cabin photos of the new Q400:

Flybe designates one of its Bombardier Q400s as the “Love Plane” for Valentine’s Day

Flybe (Exeter) designated one of its Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) aircraft as an official “Love Plane” to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Decked out with hearts on its nose and underbelly to be visible from the ground, it will operate scheduled services in and out of seven UK airports during February.