December 17, 2003, Bombardier Aerospace announced that Qantas Airways of Sydney, Australia placed a firm order for six new 50-passenger Bombardier Q300 turboprops and has taken options on two additional Bombardier Q300 for the carrier’s QantasLink regional airline operation. Deliveries are scheduled for the first half of 2004. The new Bombardier Q300 aircraft will replace older model 36-seat Dash 8 Series 100 aircraft currently operated by QantasLink for its services to regional Australia.

“These new aircraft are a significant investment in our regional fleet, ” said Narendra Kumar, executive general manager, Regional Airlines, Qantas Airways. “We are committed to continuing our investment in QantasLink to ensure we have the best aircraft to meet the needs of regional Australia.” QantasLink currently operates 33 Dash 8 Series 100, Bombardier Q200 and Bombardier Q300 aircraft. “We are delighted that Qantas has once again chosen Bombardier Aerospace to meet its ongoing requirements,” said Steven A. Ridolfi, president, Bombardier's Regional Aircraft.

“We are proud of our almost 20-year association with Qantas, which has some of the world’s most exacting technical standards for aircraft.” “This order is also further evidence that despite the popularity of regional jets, there is and will continue to be a market for turboprop aircraft where their lower operating economics can mean the difference between profit and loss on many regional airline routes,” Mr. Ridolfi added.

QantasLink operates the world’s longest regional airline route system, stretching more than 1,950 nm (3,609 km) along Australia’s east coast from Hobart, Tasmania to Horn Island at the tip of Cape York. The airline serves 54 communities with more than 2,500 flights a week. Firm orders for Bombardier Q Series and Dash 8 turboprops total more than 700 aircraft, with over 670, including 203 Q300, delivered. The worldwide fleet has flown almost 13 million hours and has carried more than 384 million passengers.

Bombardier Aerospace, a unit of Bombardier Inc., is a world leader in the design and manufacture of innovative aviation products and provides services for the regional, business and amphibious aircraft markets. It also offers Bombardier Flexjet* and Bombardier Skyjet* business aircraft programs, technical services, and aircraft maintenance and pilot training for business, regional airline and military customers.