De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited ("De Havilland Canada") announced today that TAAG Angola Airlines E.P. has purchased six Dash 8-400 aircraft. TAAG is the state-owned, national airline of Angola. This order was announced by Bombardier Commercial Aircraft on March 29, 2019 as an order from an unidentified customer.
The disclosure of the previously unidentified customer was done during a press conference today at the 53rd International Paris Air Show, and follows the recent completion of the transition of Bombardier's Dash 8/Q Series aircraft program from Bombardier to De Havilland Canada.
The Honorable, Ricardo Viegas D'Abreu, Minister of Transportation, Angola joined David Curtis, Chairman, Longview Aviation Capital and Todd Young, Chief Operating Officer, De Havilland Canada, for a ceremonial signing event held during the press conference.
"TAAG is looking to the future of our fleet and the market opportunities where the Dash 8-400 aircraft will be an important part of our growth strategy. The acquisition of these new aircraft is important to support a stronger domestic network and support our regional and international network," said Rui Carreira, Chairman, TAAG Angola Airlines. "The Dash 8-400 aircraft offers unmatched performance and outstanding economics that will allow us to better serve smaller communities and increase frequencies in Angola. With a proven record of reliability and De Havilland's comprehensive support network, we look forward to adding this great network builder to our fleet."
"We are delighted to welcome TAAG Angola Airlines to our family of Dash 8-400 aircraft customers and look forward to also offering the airline our full suite of service solutions," said Todd Young, Chief Operating Officer, De Havilland Canada. "The Dash 8-400 aircraft offers the lowest seat costs, as well as unmatched range and speed versus other turboprops. It also offers an enhanced customer experience and has proven its reliability in some of the world's most challenging environments, so we are confident that it is ideally suited to meet and exceed TAAG's requirements."