GECAS has signed a firm purchase agreement for five Q400 NextGen turboprops and taken options to buy up to 10 more, Bombardier announced on 31 December.
The firm order by the General Electric-owned lessor comes three months after GECAS added the first two Q400s to its fleet through a purchase-and-leaseback deal with Nok Air.
GECAS is a sister company of engine manufacturer GE Aviation. The Q400 is powered exclusively with the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW150 turboshaft engines.
“As we continue to grow our leasing fleet, we are pleased to be adding up to 15 more Q400 Next Gen aircraft,” says Norman Liu, president and chief executive of GECAS. “We have seen a growing demand for turboprop aircraft worldwide and the Q400 NextGen aircraft is ideally positioned to meet the demands of regional airlines now and in the future.”
The GECAS fleet also includes the ATR 72-600 turboprop, a rival to the Q400.
The five Q400s on firm order by GECAS have a list value of $160 million, or $32 million per aircraft. If all options are exercised, the list value will rise to $448 million, or nearly $30 million per aircraft.
Bombardier now has amassed firm orders for 519 Q400 and Q400 NexGen aircraft.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
