QANTAS HAS SIGNED a ten-year lease with CAE for a de Havilland Canada Dash 8 simulator. The simulator will be housed at the Qantas jet base in Sydney.
Three Qantas-owned regional airlines (Southern Australia, Sunstate and Eastern Australia), along with National Jet Systems, will be among the users, says Norman Fricker, Qantas group executive general manager, associated business. "This also offers export opportunities for other users in the South Pacific and Asia," he says.
The Qantas group operates 13 Dash 8s in the eastern states, with another due for delivery early this year. National Jet Systems now flies five aircraft, with a further three on order for Coast-watch operations. Dash 8s, are also flown by nearby Asian carriers and by Ansett New Zealand.
Fricker says that Qantas has developed a fleet plan for its regional, which could result in the introduction of larger turboprop aircraft, of up to 70 seats, and, eventually, jet-powered aircraft.
Source: Flight International
