Demise of Smaller Dash8 Production Has Little Impact on Values

Bombardier has seemingly finally accepted the inevitable and opted to cease production of the 37 seat -200 and 50 seat -300 but this will have no impact on values. The company is now to focus on the larger -400 which is in the process of being upgraded to the -400NG. A larger -400X is being considered...

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Bombardier has seemingly finally accepted the inevitable and opted to cease production of the 37 seat -200 and 50 seat -300 but this will have no impact on values.

The company is now to focus on the larger -400 which is in the process of being upgraded to the -400NG. A larger -400X is being considered, representing a 90-seat version of the turboprop. For the smaller variants of the Dash8, the -200 and -300 still reflect the original design while the -400 is a much more than a simple stretch. Orders for the -200 and -300 have been difficult to source in recent years such that only 12 -300s remain to be delivered and only five -200s. The order status for both variants is, however, considered to be reasonable at 105 for the -200 and 267 for the -300 (as of February 2008). The smaller types have been under pressure for some years as operators have sought larger equipment. The ATR42-500 has experienced similar fortunes. Operators have also been loath to place new orders for the 37- and 50-seat Dash8 products due to the lack of differentiation with earlier examples. While there is sometimes a shortage of quality used equipment, this has not been sufficient cause to order new aircraft with the same specification at more than double or treble the cost of used aircraft.

The values of the Dash8-200 and -300 have inevitably been impacted by the move to larger turboprops and regional jets but relative efficiency has seen an improvement in recent years. With a consistently limited backlog and a move towards larger aircraft, there has been an expectation that production would cease. Values therefore remain unchanged by the event.