Canada's Chorus Aviation Orders Six Bombardier Q400 NextGen Airliners

FARNBOROUGH, UNITED KINGDOM--(Marketwire - July 12, 2012) - Bombardier Aerospace announced today that Halifax, Nova Scotia-based Chorus Aviation Inc., the parent company of Jazz Aviation LP ("Jazz"), has placed a firm order for six Q400 NextGen airliners. The transaction involves the conversion to firm orders of six of the 15 options taken by Jazz with its original order for 15 Q400 NextGen airliners, announced on April 30, 2010. Jazz will operate the aircraft under the Air Canada Express banner.

Based on the list price of the Q400 NextGen aircraft, the order is valued at approximately $189 million US.

"We just took delivery of our 15^th Q400 aircraft and we are very pleased to set in motion the acquisition of the next batch of aircraft to continue the modernization of the Jazz Aviation fleet serving our customer Air Canada and its passengers," said Joseph Randell, President and Chief Executive Officer, Jazz Aviation LP. "The Q400 NextGen airliner is a perfect complement to our fleet of Bombardier turboprops and regional jets and has served us extremely well from coast to coast on routes in Canada and the United States."

"Jazz has the distinction of being Canada's largest regional airline serving over 80 destinations in Canada and the United States. Its selection of the Q400 NextGen turboprop is an endorsement of the aircraft's unparalleled performance in short- and medium-haul regional airline service," said Mike Arcamone, President, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. "Airlines around the world are enjoying the full potential of this high-performance aircraft for regional operations in the 70- to 80-seat segment."

Jazz, which flies Bombardier aircraft exclusively and is the world's largest operator of Dash 8/Q-Series aircraft, accepted Bombardier's milestone 400^th Q400 aircraft in June 2012. The carrier's current fleet includes 80 Dash 8/Q-Series turboprops and 51 CRJ Series regional jets. Jazz is the second largest airline in Canada in terms of fleet size and number of routes flown and forms an integral part of Air Canada's domestic and Canada-U.S. transborder market presence and strategy.

Including the Chorus Aviation order, Bombardier has booked firm orders for 434 Q400 and Q400 NextGen airliners and delivered aircraft are in service with approximately 40 operators in 30 countries, on six continents. These aircraft have transported more than 177 million passengers and have logged more than 3.2 million flight hours and over 3.5 million take-offs and landings.

About Q400 NextGen aircraft

The Q400 NextGen turboprop airliner, which is built at Bombardier's Toronto, Ontario facility, is the most recent development in the evolution of the Q400 aircraft, and the advanced successor to Bombardier's Dash 8/Q-Series family of aircraft. Optimized for short-haul operations, the "comfortably greener," 70- to 80-seat Q400 NextGen aircraft is a large, fast, quiet and fuel-efficient turboprop. It provides an ideal balance of passenger comfort and operating economics with a reduced environmental footprint.

The Q400 airliner was designed to meet the requirements of contemporary regional air transport, characterized by both turboprop and jet missions. Setting new environmental standards, the Q400 aircraft uses 30 to 40 per cent less fuel and produces 30 to 40 per cent fewer emissions on routes where it has replaced similar-capacity, older jets. The Q400 aircraft's maximum cruise speed of 360 knots lets the aircraft fly on demand-driven interchangeable schedules with jets. However, the Q400 aircraft can slow down to achieve fuel parity with other turboprops on a per-seat basis, while still maintaining both speed and cost advantages.

The Q400 NextGen aircraft features an enhanced cabin environment with the introduction of LED lighting, new ceiling panels, dished window sidewalls and larger overhead luggage bins. These features, combined with the aircraft's Active Noise and Vibration Suppression (ANVS) system, provide an excellent cabin experience for passengers.

About Bombardier

Bombardier is the world's only manufacturer of both planes and trains. Looking far ahead while delivering today, Bombardier is evolving mobility worldwide by answering the call for more efficient, sustainable and enjoyable transportation everywhere. Our vehicles, services and, most of all, our employees are what make us a global leader in transportation.

Bombardier is headquartered in Montréal, Canada. Our shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (BBD) and we are listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability World and North America indexes. In the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011, we posted revenues of $18.3 billion USD. News and information are available at www.bombardier.com or follow us on Twitter @Bombardier.

Notes to editors

Images of Q400 NextGen aircraft in the livery of Air Canada Express are posted with this news release at: www.bombardier.com.

Additional information on the Q400 aircraft is available at: www.q400nextgen.com.

Follow @Bombardier_Aero on Twitter to receive the latest news and updates from Bombardier Aerospace.

For information about Bombardier Aerospace's presence at the 2012 Farnborough International Airshow, please visit http://airshows.bombardier.com.

Active Noise and Vibration Suppression, Bombardier, CRJ, Dash 8, NextGen, Q400, Q-Series and The Evolution of Mobility are trademarks of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries.