Bombardier Commercial Aircraft Enhances Customer Support in Africa and the Middle East with Relocation of its Q Series Aircraft Regional Support Team

• Customer support team for the Q Series Aircraft Program will be located alongside longstanding customer South African Express Airways and close to O.R. Tambo International Airport
• Customer support team for the CRJ Series Aircraft Program will continue to support its customers in its current location

TORONTO, April 23, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bombardier Commercial Aircraft announced today that it will relocate its Q Series aircraft regional support team from Lanseria International Airport to Airways Park, close to O.R. Tambo International Airport. This move will co-locate the regional support team for the Q Series aircraft with Bombardier’s longstanding customer, South African Express Airways. The CRJ Series Aircraft Program will maintain support to the region from its current location in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The regional support teams serve fleets of approximately 170 Dash 8/Q Series turboprops and about 70 CRJ Series regional jets in Africa and the Middle East. The relocation of the team supporting the fleet of Q Series aircraft will facilitate faster response times by team members when they need to travel to support customers and operators throughout the region.

Bombardier Commercial Aircraft has recorded firm orders for more than 1,300 Dash 8/Q Series and 1,900 CRJ Series aircraft, and the worldwide fleet is supported by teams in Africa and the Middle East, along with teams based in Canada (headquarters), Australia, Germany, India and Japan.

“We have enjoyed a 25-year relationship with Bombardier from the inception of South African Express until the present day. We are therefore delighted that Bombardier is positioning its Q Series aircraft regional support team to work more closely with our team at Airways Park, as well as with their other customers operating from O.R. Tambo International Airport,” said Siza Mzimela, Chief Executive Officer, South African Express Airways. “We’re confident that the proximity to our team and our hub will augment our operation and that we will benefit from Bombardier’s expertise as we work to further optimize the efficiency of our fleet and enhance our passengers’ experience.”

“The relocation of our Africa and Middle East Q Series regional support team is another step in our ongoing efforts to enhance our accessibility and support to customers and operators in the region,” said Todd Young, Vice President and General Manager, Head of Q Series Aircraft Program, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “O.R. Tambo International Airport serves as the primary airport for travel to and from South Africa, so it fits with our strategy to position our regional support teams where they are best able to offer timely support before, during and beyond an aircraft’s entry into service.”

“Our regional support teams provide quick-response problem solving, engineering expertise and tailored plans to meet our customers’ business plans,” said Charles Comtois, Head of CRJ Series Aircraft Program, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “Regional support team members also act as conduits to connect our customers to our extensive global network of Service Centres, Authorized Service Facilities, Parts Depots and Training Facilities.”