SAS permanently removes all Bombardier Dash 8 Q400’s from its fleet

An AP report from Sweden says that Scandinavian Airlines has decided to permanently stop flying Bombardier Q400 turboprops after a string of crash landings blamed on landing gear malfunctions, the airline’s chief executive said Sunday.

The company took the decision the day after an SAS turboprop made by the Canadian company crash-landed with 44 people on board in Denmark when part of its landing gear collapsed.

The accident followed two similar crash landings last month with the same type of plane, also known as the Dash 8-400, after which SAS temporarily grounded its fleet of turboprops. No one was seriously injured in any of the accidents.

“Confidence in the Q400 has diminished considerably and our customers are becoming increasingly doubtful about flying in this type of aircraft,” SAS chief executive Mats Jansson said in a statement.

A Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) Dash 8-400 plane crash-landed in Lithuania after its landing gear failed in the second incident in four days, forcing Canadian maker Bombardier to advise airlines to temporarily ground some 60 such aircraft. SAS immediately ordered all of its 27 Dash 8-400 turboprops grounded.

The planes represent 15 to 20 per cent of the airline’s fleet, and are used for short-haul flights in Scandinavia and northern and central Europe.

“Accordingly, with the board of directors’ approval, I have decided to immediately remove Dash 8 Q400 aircraft from service,” Mr. Jansson said.

The airline said it would replace its 27 turboprops, made by Montreal-based Bombardier Inc., with other types of aircraft in its fleet, as well as with leased aircraft. SAS warned that it would have to cancel flights “in the period immediately ahead,” but did not say how many.

SAS had already cancelled about 50 flights Sunday and Monday after Saturday’s emergency landing at Copenhagen’s airport.

The plane slid down the runway on its belly after the landing gear collapsed, with one wing scraping the ground in a shower of sparks. All passengers and crew were evacuated safely.

Bombardier recommended airlines continue flying the Q400, saying there appeared to be no link between the Saturday’s crash landing and previous incidents involving SAS turboprops.

“According to preliminary information, the incident involved the main right-hand landing gear, which failed to fully extend for landing,” Bombardier said in a statement.

However, the SAS board decided to permanently remove the planes from service at an emergency meeting Sunday.

Confidence in the Q400 aircraft, which SAS had been using for regional flights, had been damaged by “repeated quality related problems,” SAS deputy CEO John Dueholm said.

“SAS’s flight operations have always enjoyed an excellent reputation and there is a risk that use of the Dash 8 Q400 could eventually damage the SAS brand,” he said.

On Sept. 9, a SAS turboprop made a crash landing in Aalborg, Denmark, because of a landing gear problem. Another of the airline’s Q400 planes was involved in a similar incident three days later in Lithuania.

SAS, the joint flag carrier of Sweden, Denmark and Norway, grounded its entire fleet of 27 Q400 aircraft for three weeks following the first two accidents in September, but had resumed flights earlier this month after replacing landing gear parts.

The airline has said it would demand 500 million kronor or about $75-million in compensation from Bombardier for costs and lost income for accidents involving the plane.

It wasn’t clear if SAS would make additional claims after Sunday’s decision.

It was also not known what effect the SAS decision might have on sales of the aircraft, which is assembled at Bombardier’s Downsview plant in Toronto.

Despite SAS accidents in September, Qantas announced earlier this month it was buying 12 more of the 72-seat planes in a deal valued at $345-million for its regional subsidiary QantasLink.

That would boot its fleet of Q400s to 21 and Qantas also said it would take purchase options on 24 additional Q400s.

“The Q400, which offers jet-like speed, improved passenger comfort and lower operating costs, is central to QantasLink’s growth strategy,” Qantas CEO Geoff Dixon said at the time.

The Qantas order brought the Q-series firm backlog to 125 aircraft, representing 1.9 years of production, said Desjardins Securities analyst Benoit Poirier.

A Report by The Mole and AP