South African Express kjøper to Q400

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Bombardier Signs South African Express Airways For Two Q400 Airliners

Toronto, January 30 2006, January 30, 2006

First order in Africa for Q400 turboprop

Bombardier Aerospace announced today that South African Express Airways has signed a contract to acquire two Bombardier Q400 74-seat aircraft for its domestic and regional scheduled services. South African Express Airways will be the first operator of Q400 airliners on the African continent.

The contract is valued at approximately $48.5 million US.

“The Q400 aircraft’s operating economics are unmatched by any other aircraft. This important customer will be the first in Africa to provide passengers with the benefits of jet speed coupled with jet cabin comfort in this unique turboprop,” said Steven Ridolfi, President, Bombardier Regional Aircraft.

“The addition of the Q400 to our existing Bombardier fleet supports our vision to be the most successful regional partner airline. It also forms part of our long-term fleet renewal programme. We are confident the Q400 acquisition will improve our efficiencies and enhance our product offering in pursuit of our commitment to offer the best service to our customers,” said Siza Mzimela, Chief Executive Officer, South African Express Airways.

Based in Johannesburg, South African Express Airways was launched in April 1994. The airline operates a fleet of seven Bombardier Dash 8 Series 300 turboprop aircraft and six Bombardier CRJ200 regional jets, locally known as the “Express Jet”. The current Bombardier fleet offers business and leisure travellers the comfort of leather seats, superior design features and performance, while meeting European noise and emission control standards.

South African Express Airways transports in excess of 90, 000 passengers a month. It flies to 11 destinations within South Africa, provides regional services to Namibia, Botswana and the Democratic Republic of Congo and operates 56 frequencies per week between its various hubs.
While the Q400 airliner was designed to meet the requirements for high-density, short-haul services, the aircraft’s 360-knot (667 km/h) speed and 1,360 nm (2,519 km) range will offer South African Express additional productivity by extending its reach and capacity on new routes and markets.

The firm order book for the Q400 airliner now stands at 165 aircraft. As of December 31, 2005, 106 Q400 aircraft had been delivered to 13 operators in North America, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region.