Aircraft
Bombardier considers stretch variant for Q400
Bombardier Aerospace is continuing to define a further stretch of its 78-passenger Dash 8 Q-400 regional turboprop to create a possible 90-seat variant tha

Bombardier Aerospace is continuing to define a further stretch of its 78-passenger Dash 8 Q-400 regional turboprop to create a possible 90-seat variant that could enter service before the middle of the next decade. The Canadian manufacturer has been studying such a development– dubbed the Dash 8 Q400X–for several years, citing the airframe’s potential to accept 58-inch forward and 62-inch aft fuselage “plugs” to accommodate three or four extra rows of seats.

Just a few months ago, Bombardier confirmed that 2013-14 is its latest thinking for service entry. “[That is] the sort of time period we’re looking at today,” said Bombardier commercial aircraft president Gary Scott at an industry conference in March.