MONTREAL - Bombardier Inc. has lost another sales campaign to European rival ATR, a campaign for seven Q400 turboprops that at least one analyst thought the Montreal firm would win.
Benoit Poirier of Montreal brokerage Desjardins Securities called the decision by Air New Zealand to buy seven ATR-600s “disappointing news ... given the airline owns 23 (Bombardier) Q300 turboprops. We had believed that Bombardier was favoured to win this order.”
The order pushes ATR’s year-to-date turboprop sales to about 150 aircraft, said Poirier, compared with two for Bombardsier’s Q400 70-seat turboprops. Bombardier has already cut production rates at its Downsview turboprop plant as a result of slow sales, as well as at its Mirabel regional-jet plant, when orders that had been anticipated did not materialize this year.
Bombardier Aerospace spokesperson John Arnone could not confirm that Bombardier was in the running for the Air New Zealand order. The carrier could not be reached for comment late Wednesday.
Arnone also would not comment on whether two crash-landings in quick succession last year by the same Bombardier turboprop type on the same Air New Zealand division – Air Nelson – at the same airport had any effect on the carrier’s decision.
One source said the ATR-600s are destined for the Mount Cook Airline, an Air New Zealand subsidiary that already operates aircraft from the European manufacturer.
Commonality of aircraft type is a major issue for airlines, saving on training, operations and maintenance and replacement parts.
Poirier said in a note to clients that “it appears (Air New Zealand) opted for the lower operating costs of ATR’s aircraft over the faster speed of Bombardier’s Q400.”
Asked why Bombardier was not selling more turboprops in an interview with The Gazette last week at the National Business Aviation Association convention in Las Vegas, Bombardier Aerospace president Guy Hachey replied that it was because its strong markets were Europe and North America.
“And those markets are very, very soft right now,” Hachey said.
He admitted Bombardier has been slow in penetrating emerging markets, but said the company is “repairing” its misstep and that things were changing.
Arnone said that “we fully expect that markets (outside Europe and North America) will bounce back – it’s just a question of time.”
Poirier said that Indonesian carrier Garuda will decide by the end of November whether to buy 18 regional jets from Bombardier or Brazilian competitor Embraer.
He gave Bombardier the edge, but others “believe that ATR’s aircraft is favoured due to its lower operating costs.”
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