On Saturday, De Havilland Aircraft of Canada announced that the Tanzanian Government Flight Agency (TGFA) had signed a firm order for a Dash 8-400, which will be leased to Air Tanzania.
Last June, De Havilland Aircraft of Canada’s parent company, Longview Aircraft Capital, completed their acquisition of the Bombardier Q400 program. The program has since been named Dash 8-400 and according to the company press release the Air Tanzania order announced Saturday is the first sale made under the De Havilland Canada brand. The company continues to deliver orders booked by the previous owner Bombardier, including a delivery to Ethiopian Airlines last July. The new order was made on behalf of the United Republic of Tanzania by the Tanzanian Government Flight Agency (TGFA), representing a major milestone for the resurrected De Havilland Canada company. The aircraft will seat 78, with a dual lavatory configuration and will be leased to Air Tanzania, bringing the number of Dash 8-400s in their fleet to five. In the announcement, Air Tanzania Chief Executive Officer Ladislaud Matindi stated,
We are very satisfied with the Dash 8-400 aircraft’s low operating costs and reliable operations in our high-utilization environment, and we look forward to the additional capacity that this new aircraft and another one that is scheduled for delivery soon, will provide. Air Tanzania continues to grow at a steady pace and we are opening new routes and offering more frequencies to meet the demand of our market. The after sales support that we have been receiving from De Havilland Canada has also been excellent and we are happy to reinforce our commitment to this aircraft as we count on more support from De Havilland Canada as our fleet, operations and route network continue to grow.”
The popular and capable Dash 8-400 turboprop can seat up to 90 passengers and is the latest derivative in the former Q400 series. De Havilland Canada also provides worldwide support for previous generation Dash 8-100, 200 and 300 models. Todd Young, De Havilland Canada’s Chief Operating Officer stated,
“We are delighted to announce the United Republic of Tanzania as a signatory to our first purchase agreement following De Havilland Canada’s relaunch in June 2019. The Dash 8-400 aircraft is the world’s most advanced and most productive turboprop, and our announcement of this firm order will increase Air Tanzania’s fleet to five, signals the carrier’s confidence in the future of our aircraft program.”
The Dash 8 is owned and operated by over 65 customers worldwide and is utilized in scheduled and charter operations as well as unique applications such as cargo-combi and firefighting. We congratulate the team at De Havilland Canada for reaching this major milestone in the history of their new company.
Source: De Havilland Canada
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