In the wake of what looks to be the third landing gear accident in just six weeks, SAS has removed its entire fleet of Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 propjets from service. The move appears to be permanent. “Confidence in the Q400 has diminished considerably, and our customers are becoming increasingly doubtful about flying in this type of aircraft,” said Mats Jansson, SAS Chief Executive, in a statement.
Meanwhile, the largest operator of the Q400 in North America, Horizon Air, says it will continue to fly the aircraft. A few weeks ago, Horizon and other operators temporarily pulled the airplanes from scheduled service while they conducted inspections. Horizon has 33 of the craft.
A Horizon spokesman tells Cheapflights that, after consultation, aircraft-maker Bombardier and regulator Transport Canada (the Q400 is Canadian-made) have determined that there’s no need to stop flying the propjets.
Negative perceptions of the airplane appear to be most acute in Europe, where SAS is concerned that continuing to fly the Q400 could damage its brand name.
Horizon relies heavily on the airplane in the Pacific Northwest, its home territory. Another North American carrier, Porter Airlines, is also a significant Q400 operator. It flies out of Toronto City Center Airport (YTZ).
© Cheapflights Ltd Jerry Chandler
