AS Tanzania looks forward to receiving the second bombardier Q400 plane of two the government purchased from Canada this week, it has emerged that the aircraft are safer, fuel-efficient and ideal for cheap local flights.
The popular global Forbes Magazine
writes in an article titled; “Can Bombardier’s Q400 Save Regional Air
Service in the US?”that comparing to other aircraft offering regional
flights in the US, the Bombardier Q400 proved to have more advantages.
It was reported that the planes have
appropriate speed to cater for needs in regional airline transport,
including having more commercial benefits as compared to aircraft of its
like such as the ATR. “Essentially, on a 350 nautical mile route, our
analysis finds that the Q400 has about a 65 to 72 per cent advantage in
terms of fuel burn per seat versus the E170/CRJ-700, and a 100 to 110
per cent advantage versus a 50-seat regional jet,” the Forbes says.
This, along with rising RJ maintenance
costs, translates into roughly a 15 to 17 per cent and 48 to 52 per cent
advantage in terms of operating costs per seat on the route.
However, increasing the distance to 450
nautical miles causes that cost advantage to evaporate, as the slower
speeds (RJs are about 80 knots faster than the Q400) lead to longer
flight times, which in turn lead to higher capital and labour costs.
But until that threshold, the Q400
presents a unique opportunity to replace RJ services at a lower cost.
The trip costs up to about 350 nautical miles for the Q400s and present
day RJs are similar, which means that the same revenue pool (let alone a
market stimulated with lower fares) would allow 50-seat RJ routes to be
replaced.
Moreover, because the Q400’s fuel costs
are lower, airlines could afford to pay higher pilot salaries, thereby
offsetting some of the severity of the pilot shortage.
“At present, we estimate that the Q400
would be an effective replacement aircraft of between 50 to 60 per cent
of the routes in question, and help preserve service at more than 20
airports,” it explains.
It further notes that the real
opportunity on the Q400 lies in a re-engined, upgraded Q400X turboprop,
which has been rumoured for launch since 2011. “If Bombardier opted for a
higher speed Q400, the cost equalisation point would bend outwards to
around 700 to 750 nautical miles.
“While our sources at Bombardier do
caution that a higher speed Q400X would require significant aerodynamic
re-design, such a product would allow the Q400 to do 90 per cent of RJ
routes worldwide, most of them with superior economics than present and
next-generation RJs,” it adds.
President of Bombardier Commercial
Aircraft, Mr Mike Arcamone, said the perception was changing: “I think a
lot of operators are starting to realize its quiet...So there are a lot
of markets where the Q400 could absolutely replace… at the lower end….
jets.”
Experts argue that among other reasons,
Tanzania was forced to purchase such planes after realising that high
operational costs brought by Boeing as well as few passengers were among
major factors behind failure by the Air
Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL) to do business. Making price
comparison, the Boeing is sold at 296m US dollars while the Bombardier
Q400 price stands at 35m dollars. Which is to say the price of one
Boeing could buy 9 Bombardier planes.According to the experts, these nine Bombardiers could help the ATCL to operate profitably. Regarding time used to cover a certain distance, for instance, 1100km from Dar es Salaam to Mwanza, the Bombardier can use one hour and 40 minutes whereas Boeing can take 1 hour and 15 minutes, which is a difference of 25 minutes only.
The experts went on explaining that Bombardier uses 1.187 litres of fuel to cover a distance of one mile.
For example, travelling from Songea to Dar, a distance of 537km (335.625 miles), the Bombardier would need 398.386 litres of fuel, costing about 796,773/- at a price of 2,000 per litre.
But, for Boeing, covering the same distance would require spending 28.8m/- on fuel alone.
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