Bombardier signs Q400 deals with Horizon Air and Ethiopian Airlines

Ethiopian Airlines Q400 NextGen. Courtesy, Bombardier

Bombardier has received a firm order for two Q400 NextGen aircraft from Horizon Air (QX) and revealed that Ethiopian Airlines (ET) is the customer that placed the firm order for five Q400 NextGens announced earlier this week (ATW Daily News, Feb. 14).

“Shifting to an all-Q400 fleet last year was a crucial element in Horizon Air’s business plan,” QX president Glenn Johnson said. Seattle-based QX, a wholly owned subsidiary of Alaska Air Group, is the largest operator of Q400 and Q400 NextGen aircraft in the Americas, with 48 aircraft in service.

Based on list prices, the QX transaction is valued at approximately $60 million and the ET transaction at $160 million, Bombardier said.

The ET order increases the number of Q400 NextGens purchased by the airline to 13. Two of the five newly ordered aircraft will be operated by ET and three by its affiliate, ASKY Airlines of Togo.

“The Q400 NextGen airliner has fully met our expectations for economics, performance and passenger acceptance,” ET CEO Tewolde Gebremariam said. “Of great importance to us is the aircraft’s high rate of climb, single-engine service ceiling and higher take-off weight, thus greater payload, when operating from our high altitude-hot weather airports.”

Including the new transaction, Bombardier has booked firm orders for 420 Q400 and Q400 NextGen aircraft, with 389 delivered as of Dec. 31, 2011, it said.