De Havilland Aircraft of Canada is the Q400’s new home

Longview Aviation Capital has established a new company called De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Ltd that will be responsible for manufacturing the Q400 turboprop.

The iconic De Havilland name was announced on Monday (Canadian time), following the completion of the purchase of the Q400 program from Bombardier.

The sale, which was announced in November 2018, includes the Q400 series, as well as all assets, intellectual property and type certificates associated with Dash 8 series – 100, 200 and 300 – aircraft which are no longer in production.

Dash 8 turboprops were give the Q designation from mid-1996 to emphasise the redesigned cabin aimed at reduced noise and vibration.

Production of the Q400 will continue at the current manufacturing site located at Downsview, Ontario under a land lease agreement that stretched out until 2023.

Further, Longview Aviation Capital said nearly all of the workforce at Downsview – and all existing union agreement – had transitioned to the new De Havilland Aircraft of Canada company, which ensured “operational continuity and a seamless transition for customers”.

In addition to the type certificates for the out-of-production DHC-1 through to DHC-7, Longview Aviation Capital also owns Viking Air and the Twin Otter program, as well as the former Canadair CL-215, CL-215T, and CL-415 waterbomber aircraft.

De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited will continue to produce, service and support Dash 8 and Q400 aircraft from the Downsview site in Toronto, Ont. pic.twitter.com/0MGgPvsik3

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— De Havilland Aircraft of Canada (@dehavillandAIR) June 3, 2019

Longview Aviation Capital chairman David Curtis said the company was proud to return the de Havilland Canada brand back to prominence in the global aerospace industry.

“The iconic De Havilland name dates back almost one hundred years, and is responsible for some of the most renowned aircraft in aviation history,” Curtis said in a statement.

“The combination of the Dash 8 with the existing Longview Aviation Capital portfolio unites the entire De Havilland product line under the same banner for the first time in decades.

“With a new corporate identity that draws on the rich brand heritage, we are excited about the opportunities we see ahead for this company, and for the Dash 8 aircraft.”

The sale of the Q400 program to Longview Aviation Capital is one of several recent changes in Bombardier’s business.

This included the sale of a half stake in its CSeries regional jet program, which is now known as the A220, to Airbus in July 2018, as well as the recent decision to sell its aerostructures manufacturing factories in Ireland and Morocco as part of a corporate restructure.

Bombardier’s sole commercial aircraft program is the CRJ family of regional jets.

The program comprised the CRJ700 (up to 78 seats and 1,400nm range), CRJ900 (up to 90 seats and 1,550nm range) and CRJ1000 (up to 104 seats and 1,650nm range). The company is also building a CRJ550 50-seat regional jet that is based on the CRJ700.