Bombardier Aerospace and RwandAir of Kigali, Rwanda Yesterday (February 27) celebrated the delivery of a dual-class Q400 NextGen turboprop airliner to the African airline..
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.
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.
Source: bombardier
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