Horizon Air Orders Three More Q400 NextGens and Reconfirms Options on Seven

Seattle-based Horizon Air has signed a firm order for three 76-seat Bombardier Q400 NextGen turboprop airliners.

The transaction represents the conversion of three previously booked options on the aircraft. Horizon Air (Alaska Airlines’ sister regional carrier) has also reconfirmed its options on another seven Bombardier Q400 NextGen aircraft.

Based on the list price of the Q400 NextGen, Bombardier Aerospace values Horizon Air’s firm order ‒ which was announced on June 18 at the Paris Air Show 2013 ‒ at approximately US$98 million.

On June 18, 2013, Bombardier announced during the Paris Air Show that Alaska Airlines’ sister carrier Horizon Air had exercised options on three Q400 NextGen turboprops and reconfirmed its options on seven more

The three new aircraft will increase Horizon Air’s orders for Q400 and Q400 NextGen airliners to 51 aircraft – the world’s largest fleet. Including the order announced on June 18, Horizon Air has ordered a total of 100 Bombardier Dash 8/Q-Series aircraft since 1985.

“This aircraft order represents a significant milestone for Horizon and our employees, who have dedicated themselves to transforming our business and enabled us to grow,” says Glenn Johnson, Horizon Air’s president. “The addition of these three Q400 NextGen aircraft will allow us to venture into the state of Alaska, which is considered America’s last frontier and is now an exciting new frontier for Horizon.”

“Horizon Air has been a Bombardier customer since 1985 when it ordered its first 10 37-seat Dash 8-100 airliners,” says Mike Arcamone, president of Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “We are thrilled that the airline is returning to order more Q400 aircraft ‒ a superb testament to the flexibility and reliability of the aircraft.”

Bombardier has also announced that Transport Canada has certified the Q400 for the advanced navigation capability of Required Navigation Performance AR 0.3 (RNP AR 0.3), meaning the aircraft now has the most advanced navigation capabilities in the regional airline market.

Horizon Air’s Q400s are equipped with Head-up Guidance Systems (HGSs) for all weather operations; Wide Area Augmentation Systems (WAAS) with approach guidance (LPV) for ILS-like landing minima at remote runways; and RNP AR 0.3 to fly curved approaches to airports in difficult terrain.

Its unmatched capability to land and take off at challenging runways in unsettled weather is another benefit of the Q400, according to Bombardier Aerospace.

Including the order announced on June 18, Bombardier has booked firm orders for 471 Q400 and Q400 NextGen regional airliners.

Worldwide, Q400s and Q400 NextGens have transported more than 243 million passengers and have logged over 4.2 million flight hours and more than 4.5 million take-offs and landings. The Q400 and Q400 NextGen program includes some 50 operators and customers in 35 countries on five continents.

Established in 1981, Horizon Air was acquired in 1986 by Alaska Air Group, Inc., the parent company of Alaska Airlines. At its start, the airline operated two aircraft and served three destinations in Washington state. Today it flies 48 aircraft on behalf of Alaska Airlines and serves 39 cities in the western United States, Canada and Mexico.