Conair buys seven more Dash 8-400s

The aircraft were purchased from Kirk Aviation, via Irish aircraft leasing and asset management firm Aergo Capital Asset Management. The planes will be transported from Europe to Canada and will be stored in Mississauga, Ontario, awaiting conversion by Conair at its facility in Abbotsford, British Columbia. The first will be converted this winter.

“Conair will convert these aircraft over the next two years, selling the airtankers direct to governments who own and operate their own fleet, or by providing long-term operational contracts through either Conair or Aero-Flite,” said Jeff Berry, Vice President of Business Development. “We are producing a new airtanker every 75 days from our facility in Canada, with the ability to expand.”

The announcement comes two years after the company placed a previous order for 11 Dash 8-400s in 2021, to replace its older airtanker aircraft. All aircraft from that order are due to be in operation by the end of 2023, supporting governments on three continents.

The company has already used a number of its 2021 Dash 8-400s this year under contract: four in British Columbia, two in Alaska, one in Australia, and one in France.

The orders come at a time when wildfires are increasing across the world, as a result of climate change. Matt Bradley, President and CEO of Conair, explained: “Countries are facing escalating wildfire behavior. And many are challenged by limited aerial firefighting resources or aging fleets in need of modernization. Supply of modern, large airtankers is limited. Our purchase gives us the ability to support countries as they adapt to the changing wildfire environment, continuing to protect their citizens and resources using air assets.”