Seattle-based Horizon Air has placed a firm order for two additional 70-seat Bombardier Q400 turboprop airliners, which will increase its fleet to 17. The 15 planes currently in the fleet have been delivered and are in operation. Deliveries for the two new aircraft are scheduled later this year.

The transaction results from a revision of Horizon's fleet delivery plan, and represents the conversion of two firm orders for 70-seat Bombardier CRJ-700 regional jets to Bombardier Q400 aircraft.

Horizon Air now has firm orders for 28 CRJ-700 aircraft, of which 16 have been delivered. Under the new plan, Horizon was scheduled to take delivery of two CRJ-700 jets in 2003, two Q400 turboprops this year (the ones converted from the jet order) and the remainder of its 10 CRJ-700s at a rate of two per year between 2005 and 2009.

This change to the delivery schedule does not affect the increase in Bombardier's CRJ-700 production rate scheduled for this month, Bombardier said. In addition, Horizon Air has options on 25 CRJ-700s, as well as options on 15 Q400 turboprops.

The Q400 order book, including options and conditional orders, totals 193 aircraft with 75 delivered and in service with 11 operators in North America, Europe and the Asia/Pacific region, the company said.

>>Contact: Bert Cruickshank, Bombardier, 416-375-3030.<<