Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier Aerospace, part of the Bombardier group, sees a lot of promise in the African market.
“Africa is a very dynamic market, for sure,” says the company’s airline marketing manager: Middle East and Africa, Arnaud Brun-Khoobeelass. “It’s a market that offers lots of potential for growth, especially for regional aircraft. The continent has lots of connectivity issues, particularly regional connectivity.”
Bombardier’s commercial aircraft range comprises the twin-turboprop Q400 – which can carry 90 passengers, with a range of 1 100 nautical miles (nm) – equivalent to 2 037 km – at a maximum cruising speed of 360 knots (almost 667 km/h) and has a maximum takeoff weight of 30 481 kg – and the CRJ twin-engined regional jet family. (Bombardier invented the regional jet concept.)
The members of the CRJ family, which are currently available as new aircraft, are the 50-passenger CRJ550, the 78-passenger CRJ700, the 90-passenger CRJ900 and the 104-passenger CRJ1000. All these aircraft have a maximum cruise speed of Mach 0.825 (Mach being the speed of sound, which varies with altitude.) Their maximum takeoff weight varies from 34 019 kg (the CRJ550 and CRJ700) to 41 640 kg (CRJ1000), while their ranges vary from the 1 400 nm (2 593 km) for the CRJ700 to the 2 200 nm (4 075 km) for the CRJ550. Earlier versions of the family, the CRJ100 and CRJ200, are available on the second-hand market.
“Some African operators are obtaining second-hand CRJs and Q400s,” he notes. “Both aircraft are very popular on the second-hand market, so few are readily available. But demand in Africa for new CRJs and Q400s is very promising. The era of African operators acquiring old, second-hand aircraft is clearly ending. The market is much more competitive and African travellers are demanding an increased quality of service across the continent, and this is best provided by new aircraft.”
This applies to regional aircraft, both jet and turboprop, as well. “The market dynamics are driving a renewed interest in regional aircraft.” Regional jets can provide high-quality and fast services, with ranges great enough to allow international flights within regions, at significantly lower costs to the operator than is possible with larger single-aisle airliners. And, because of their smaller size, regional jets enjoy higher load factors, which is a key factor in airline profitability.
“We are currently busy with a number of serious negotiations with African operators about selling them CRJs,” reports Brun-Khoobeelass. “The interest is from all over Africa – it is not concentrated in any one region.
South African State-owned operator SA Express currently operates an all-Bombardier fleet, comprised of both Q400s and CRJs. In all, some 60 African operators fly more than 230 Bombardier aircraft. The company is currently fulfilling an order from Uganda Airlines for four CRJ900s, two of which have been delivered so far.