Bombardier Commercial Aircraft today celebrated the delivery of the first of two Q400 aircraft ordered by Qazaq Air JSC of Kazakhstan (“Qazaq Air”) in 2017. The order followed Qazaq Air’s successful launch of domestic service in Kazakhstan in July 2015, using three leased Q400 aircraft.

Qazaq Air’s Acting Chief Executive Officer, Adel Dauletbek and the airline’s Head of Public Relations, Sergey Khetsuriani, joined the airline’s flight and acceptance crew during a special delivery ceremony at Bombardier’s Toronto site where the Q400 aircraft is manufactured. H.E. Akylbek Kamaldinov, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Canada was in attendance as well as Bombardier Commercial Aircraft’s team which included Ross Mitchell, Vice President, Commercial Operations and Mark Gilbert, Director, Sales.

“We are delighted with the performance of our fleet of Q400 turboprops and are excited to welcome the additional aircraft into our operation,” said Mr. Dauletbek. “With our larger fleet, our customers will benefit from the expansion of our route network within Kazakhstan, as well as to nearby cities in the Central Asian region.”

“We congratulate Qazaq Air on the growth of its operations and expansion of its network,” said Mr. Mitchell. “The Q400 aircraft continues to prove itself in some of the most challenging locations around the world. The aircraft’s speed, range and fuel efficiency, and especially its certification for operations down to -54°C make it ideal for operations on Qazaq Air’s long routes in the Kazakh market.”