Fresh from their latest fleet upgrade, Rwandan national carrier, RwandAir (WB), has announced the signing of a firm purchase agreement with Canada's Bombardier Aerospace for one Q400 NextGen turboprop airliner. The Q400 will be used to replace the airline's current older Dash8-200 used to ply domestic and close regional routes.
The Q400 will join RwandAir's current fleet of Bombardier CRJ900s, delivered late last year as part of the carrier's expansion plans. Based on the list price of the Q400 NextGen aircraft, the order is valued at approximately USD33million.
“As demand for domestic and regional travel in Africa accelerates, our 67-seat, dual-class Q400 NextGen aircraft will ensure RwandAir is well positioned to offer increased capacity on popular routes that are being opened and serviced with our 37-seat Bombardier Dash 8-200 aircraft,” said John Mirenge, Chief Executive Officer, RwandAir.
“As one of our newest and fast-growing customers, RwandAir is serving Africa’s expanding domestic and international markets and we are delighted that the carrier has yet again chosen Bombardier aircraft to further develop its network of short- and medium-haul destinations,” said Mike Arcamone, President, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “The Q400 NextGen turboprop has proven its capability and flexibility in many regions of the world and is operating in diverse environments. We anticipate that it will serve RwandAir and its customers very well.”
RwandAir will become the 12th operator of Q400 and Q400 NextGen aircraft in Africa, and its Q400 NextGen aircraft will join more than 40 Q400 and Q400 NextGen aircraft that are already in service with, or have been ordered by, 11 operators in nine countries in Africa.
