Bombardier demonstrates Q400 aircraft to LIAT

A Q400 NextGen turboprop aircraft. Photo credit: aviationnews.eu

ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, June 18, 2011 – Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier this week demonstrated its technology-advanced Q400 NextGen turboprop airliner to LIAT with demonstration flights in Antigua on Thursday June 16 and Barbados on Friday June 17.

LIAT’s Chairman Dr. Jean Holder, members of the Company’s Executive Management team and employees from all levels of the organisation were on board for the demonstration flights.

The Q400 can seat between 70-80 passengers.

Corporate Communications Manager Desmond Brown said the Bombardier demos come a month after demonstrations in Antigua and Barbados by the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer as LIAT moves ahead with plans to renew its fleet. He explained that the Company was not yet at the point of making a final decision on the type of aircraft it would purchase.

The 18 aircraft which make up LIAT’s current fleet are manufactured by de Havilland Canada/Bombardier.

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16 Comments

  1. dom
    July 20, 2012

    If they got E170s and E190s then DOminica wont get any flights, theyd have to save the Bombardiers for D/ca lol. Land before time.

  2. dom
    July 20, 2012

    Embraers are fine aircraft, Jetblue owns a fleet of E190s, 170s etc. They’re beautiful and easy to work on.

  3. Ground Pilot
    June 20, 2011
    • under the radar
      June 23, 2011

      the last set of mishaps were reported in 2007. does that mean bombardier did not address them? this doesnt make the Q400 a genuinely faulty aircraft… are there any updated faults and mishaps which are more recent, proving that bombardier still makes the Q400 the same way?

  4. Anonymous
    June 19, 2011

    Agreed what’s the justification with “commonality with American Eagle”? We need safe reliable, low cost maintenance aircraft… so they can stop causing economic hardship for the region… lost of Tourism because of these high fares…

    • Piper
      June 20, 2011

      If you take a closer look at the ticket, you will see the extent to which the final price of a ticket is made up of government charges.

      LIAt has their issues, but the regional governments have to share some of the blame for the high cost of air travel within the region.

  5. Concerned Dominican
    June 19, 2011

    LIAT only have 18 planes? Now i see the reasons why when one is broken down, you are very likely to be delayed for 8hrs…

  6. Chesney Seaman
    June 19, 2011

    OMFG, are you kidding me, a Q400..

    Why not invest in atr 72-500 (212-A).
    The Q400 has seen so many mishaps etc and the new PW-150a’s are so ugly.
    I may sound biased, but i love the Q300 series.

    If i was liat’s CEO, I would try to invest in a EMB-170 or 175. Even a 190.

    • under the radar
      June 23, 2011

      the Q400 mishaps have most times been linked to poor maintenance and human error. that doesnt make the aircraft inferior to the ATR-72. do better research please.

  7. YOUT
    June 19, 2011

    for my part …get us the safest aircrafts,well trained pilots…airports that can accomodate these aircraft and God be with Us

  8. Cassandra
    June 19, 2011

    Still think they would be better off going with the ATR 72, which would also give them commonality with Caribben and Eagle. Much will ultimately also depend on the financing package they are able to negotiate, I guess.

    • Anonymous
      June 19, 2011

      And what’s the point of “commonality with American Eagle??”

      • Cassandra
        June 19, 2011

        Good question! Spares, service, re-sale value, crew training etc. Bombardier have discontinued the dash-8 series and the Q-400 is the sole “follower-on” from that programme.

      • Anonymous
        June 19, 2011

        American Eagle also flies ATR 72’s. At least that’s one ‘commonality’ she might be referring to. But I don’t know what would be the point of that commonality, that she’s thinking of.

    • Amused
      November 30, 2011

      Airlines do not generally place “commonality” with their competitors as a point in favour of a particular aircraft type. there is no communication between airlines, for engineering purposes or crew training, unless they are within the same Group of companies. a comment such as Cassandra’s could only come from “Fare paying Customers” point of view, although as a fare paying customer, i don’t really care what aircraft I am flying on, as long as the service is good and the flights depart on time.
      with ATR aircraft, it is well know within the industry they recieve huge subsidies from the french Government, in order to offer a much lower cost per aircraft when buying new, although they will deny they make this up be charging extortionate rates for component servicing and repairs, once the purchased aircraft are no longer covered by the warranty period.
      ‘Should’ LIAT choose the Q400, then at least they are dealing with the same manufacturer for customer support, a Company they have dealt with for some 20 years or more. the latest Q400NGs have had all the teething problems ironed out now. the ATR 72-500 is a fairly new aircraft, and as with all aircraft, it takes some years to iron out the kinks. despite aviation standards, this is not a perfect world, and any manufacturer, though they strive to make the ‘perfect aircraft’ it is humanly impossible.
      when u get down to the nitty gritty, there is little difference in the operation of the two types of aircraft. as for teh PW150 engines in the Q400, thses engines are actually so over-powered for this aircraft, that they never even get close to their maximum limits, which in the long run, means the engines are under far less strain in their working life, thus reducing wear and tear. in comparison, the ATR engines are the older PW120 series, with a Propellor brake on the right engine in place of using and APU. this actually increases wear and tear on this particular engine, particularly in the turbine (with inherent high costs of repair).
      LIAT Airlines have a lot of things to consider if they are going to upgrade their fleet, although I tend to agree it will eventually come down to costs, as all big deals do in the end.
      I wish LIAT all the best in their considerations.

      • ATC
        December 30, 2011

        @Amused
        What you say is very true. And even though the ATR72-500 is sorta new, its still old enough that the ATR72-600 is out now. That’s what Caribbean have now,…and who know what kinks they will have to deal with. It seems much better than the 500 FOR SURE,…don’t know if everything will be close to perfect. Even Am.Eagle seemed to have a hard time maintaining their 500’s. There was always one broken down in one of the islands for atleast an entire 24hrs. I have seen this often, having worked in ATC for 3yrs. Not too sure of the extend of use of the ATR outside of Am.Eagle’s massive fleet, but a number of airlines have massive fleets of Q400’s with virtually no major problems,..e.g. Porter Airlines in Canada, Flybe in the UK,(both CEO’s swear by the Q400)..among others. And the UK is pretty small compare to the US, and has alot of airlines, yet Flybe has a Q400 fleet of nearly 60 aircraft.
        For overall cost, and smoothness of transition, the Q400 is the better option for Liat right now. They have neither the political nor financial support to take the risk Caribbean took. My main issue with Liat’s plans is that, for their type of operation and route structure, I strongly feel that they have to return to having a mixed fleet. If the Q400 is still slightly susceptible to certain issues, especially with regards to the landing gear, and the alleged issue with the wingbox, I am suspicious that too frequent island-hopping MAY exacerbate this. My idea is, Q400 for flights over 35mins for this type (as current 35min legs can probably be done in 20mins with the Q400), and all other legs less than that be done by Embraer EMB120 Brasilia’s. Might be useful to create a subsidiary airline to do this. But hey,…just my view. I could be wrong!

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