SINGAPORE — Bombardier Commercial Aircraft unveiled a Philippine Airlines dual-class, 86-seat Q400 regional turboprop at the air show here, noting that PAL is the first user of the dual-class Q400 in the world.
Company officials said the Q400 will be used in major regional routes in the Philippines.
At the same time, Bombardier presented an AirBaltic CS300 aircraft at the Airshow, which runs until February 11.
“Asia-Pacific is a region of unmatched opportunities where Bombardier has recently gained significant momentum. The CS300 aircraft’s recent Asian commercial debut with Korean Air Lines highlights our breakthrough into the region’s fast-growing market,” said Fred Cromer, president of Bombardier Commercial Aircraft.
“Passenger demand in the region is increasing fast, driving demand for more short-haul aircraft, more flight frequencies and more city pairs to increase connectivity. We are confident our product line-up will continue to be instrumental in supporting intra-regional growth, as well as further protecting passenger yields in the region,” he added.
The Asia-Pacific region is Bombardier Commercial Aircraft’s fastest-growing market with strong demand for small single-aisle aircraft like the C Series, as well as larger regional turboprops and jets.
“The high-performing Q400 aircraft has proven to serve the Asia-Pacific region very well. Bombardier acted well ahead of the market trend toward larger turboprops when it introduced the 90-seat Q400 turboprop at the Singapore Airshow two years ago. The Q400 aircraft ushered in a new era of turboprops, and the recent SpiceJet reorder for up to 50 new 90-seat Q400 turboprops is another great example of our strong market penetration.”
Singapore is the headquarters for Bombardier’s operations in the Asia-Pacific region.
Bombardier said it has been steadily growing its after-sales support in Asia-Pacific to keep pace with the ever-increasing fleet of its aircraft. The company’s Customer Services network for commercial aircraft in the region includes five Regional Support Offices in Shanghai, Tokyo, Delhi, Singapore and Sydney, and Bombardier-authorized Service Facilities operated by STAECO in Jinan, China, Hawker Pacific in Cairns, Australia and GMR Aero Technic in Hyderabad, India.
Bombardier’s exhibit at the air show will also showcase a Challenger 350 and Global 6000 corporate aircraft.
