De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited announced over the weekend that Tanzania will purchase a Dash 8-400 aircraft.
“Our current fleet of three Dash 8-400 aircraft is performing very well and offering excellent passenger amenities,” said Ladislaud Matindi, CEO, Air Tanzania. “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.”
The aircraft, which will be leased to and operated by Air Tanzania (The Wings of Kilimanjaro), will join three that are already in service and another previously ordered one, to increase the airline’s fleet of Dash 8-400 aircraft to five.
“We are delighted to announce the United Republic of Tanzania as the signatory to our first purchase agreement following De Havilland Canada’s relaunch in June 2019,” said Todd Young, chief operating officer, De Havilland Canada. “The Dash 8-400 aircraft is the world’s most advanced and most productive turboprop, and our announcement of this firm order, which will increase Air Tanzania’s fleet to five, signals the carrier’s confidence in the future of our aircraft program.
“Our customer base includes more than 65 owners and operators around the world, including over 15 new operators who joined in the last five years,” continues Young. “The Dash 8-400 aircraft’s versatility has been demonstrated by the wide range of missions it successfully supports – from diverse airline and charter operations, to specialized roles such as firefighting and cargo-combi.”
With the Dash 8-400 aircraft being the only turboprop capable of seating up to 90 passengers, De Havilland Canada is seeing strong interest from existing and prospective customers in Africa and Asia; the company sees this continuing due to the close alignment of the aircraft’s attributes and the requirements of these growth markets.
Additionally, because the aircraft provides turboprop economics with jet-like performance, De Havilland Canada is also targeting opportunities to re-invigorate demand from more mature markets such as North America and Europe where it is already well adapted as a regional jet replacement aircraft.
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