Quantas Boost For Belfast High Flyers

Belfast's aerospace industry was further boosted today with news that Australian flag carrier, Qantas Airways has now placed a firm order for seven of Bombardier's Q400 NextGen turboprop airliners. The aircraft will be operated by Qantas' wholly owned regional airline, QantasLink.

Based on the list price for the Q400 NextGen aircraft, the contract is valued at approximately $218 million US.

This order will increase to 28 the number of Q400 and Q400 NextGen airliners operated by QantasLink. The airline also operates two Bombardier Dash 8-200, three Q200 and 16 Q300 aircraft.

Earlier, Bombardier announced it had received orders for 10 other aircraft, component parts of which are manufactured at its Belfast plant.

The £490m orders came from a company in Switzerland and undisclosed customers in Russia, and are in addition to another order from Qatar in March for a further two jets worth £90m.

The planes that have been ordered are eight Global Express XRS, two Global 5000 and two Challenger 605s.

Bombardier's NI subsidiary described the orders as very welcome.

However, a spokesperson said they would not affect workforce levels in Belfast, even though the forward fuselage, engine nacelles, horizontal stabiliser, tail-cone, wing to fuselage fairings, wing slats and other composite components for the Global Express XRS and Global 5000 business jets are made in Belfast.

The centre fuselage and engine nacelles for the Challenger 605 are also made in the city.

VistaJet of Switzerland ordered four Global Express XRS aircraft and two Challenger 605 jets.

"VistaJet has expanded rapidly beyond Europe's borders. We now have major customers in the Middle East, Africa, Russia / CIS and Far East who require longer-haul aircraft with state-of-the art cabins.

"Challenger and Global business jets are ideal to meet the needs of our passengers in these regions," said Thomas Flohr, Founder and Chairman of VistaJet.

Akbar Al Baker, Chief Executive Officer, Qatar Airways commented: "Global business aircraft are renowned for their exceptional performance and reliability in demanding climate and weather conditions.

"The Global 5000 jet's speed and range, combined with its luxurious cabin, made it the optimum choice to meet the needs of corporate travelers who strongly value the importance of time management and a hassle-free travel experience."

Qatar Airways is one of the fastest growing international airlines operating one of the youngest fleets in the world.

From its hub in Doha, the airline has developed a global network of destinations, covering Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North America and South America.

The new Global 5000 aircraft will join the airline's corporate jet subsidiary, Qatar Executive, which currently features one Challenger 300 jet and two Challenger 605 jets in its fleet.

(BMcC/GK)