TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwire) -- 11/17/12 -- Bombardier Commercial Aircraft will reinforce its commitment to the African airline industry with its attendance at the 44th Annual General Assembly of the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) in Johannesburg, November 18-20, 2012.

Bombardier will showcase its powerful line-up of commercial aircraft, the Q400 NextGen regional turboprop, the best-selling CRJ NextGen regional jet family, and the all-new CSeries mainline jetliner, the new benchmark in airliner design. Earlier in 2012, a Q400 NextGen aircraft made eight stops in Africa during an extensive demonstration tour that visited five continents.

Bombardier commercial aircraft are already significantly present on the African continent with more than 160 Dash 8/Q-Series and CRJ aircraft in service with, or ordered by, 40 operators and leasing companies in over 20 countries.

Recent orders from African carriers include five Q400 NextGen aircraft from Ethiopian Airlines to increase its fleet to 13 of the type and RwandAir's purchase agreement for two CRJ900 NextGen regional jets plus two options, the first of which recently entered revenue service. Ethiopian Airlines' Q400 NextGen aircraft - three of which will be operated by its affiliate, ASKY Airlines of Togo - were the first to be outfitted with Bombardier's newly introduced dual-class interior for the turboprop.

"This region is poised for growth and over the next 20 years, it is predicted that Africa will be one of the leaders in annual economic growth, second only to China. We are excited by the potential opportunities for expanding commercial aviation in Africa and our role in that development," said Raphael Haddad, Vice-president, Sales, Middle East and Africa, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft, who will lead Bombardier's delegation at the AFRAA Annual General Assembly.

"Our market forecast for the 2012-2031 timeframe predicts that African airlines will take delivery of 550 aircraft in the 20- to 149-seat segment industry wide. The majority of that demand is expected to be in the 100- to 149-seat market segment that belongs to our CSeries family of airliners, while the remainder is expected to be mainly in the 60- to 99-seat market segment in which our Q400 NextGen and CRJ NextGen aircraft compete," added Mr. Haddad.

Putting our customers first locally, globally

Bombardier is committed to putting its business and commercial aircraft customers first by offering the highest level of support as close as possible to their operational bases. Bombardier operates a worldwide network of internationally deployed support personnel, Regional Support Offices on five continents, wholly owned Aircraft Service Centers, Authorized Service Facilities and 24-7 Customer Response Centers. The company also offers comprehensive pilot and maintenance training through dedicated facilities.

To complement its extensive support network, Bombardier offers optimized maintenance and support solutions through its Smart Services programs for business and commercial aircraft. In the past year, enrollment on the Q400 Smart Parts program has quadrupled since its launch in 2008. Republic Airlines is the latest carrier to select the increasingly popular program for its fleet of 32 Q400 turboprops.

About Bombardier

Bombardier is the world's only manufacturer of both planes and trains. Looking far ahead while delivering today, Bombardier is evolving mobility worldwide by answering the call for more efficient, sustainable and enjoyable transportation everywhere. Our vehicles, services and, most of all, our employees are what make us a global leader in transportation.

Bombardier is headquartered in Montreal, Canada. Our shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (BBD) and we are listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability World and North America indexes. In the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011, we posted revenues of $18.3 billion USD. News and information are available at bombardier.com or follow us on Twitter @Bombardier.

Notes to editors

Images of Bombardier CSeries jetliners, CRJ NextGen regional jets and Q400 NextGen turboprops are posted with this release at www.bombardier.com.

Additional information and images are available at www.cseries.com, www.crjnextgen.com and www.q400nextgen.com.

Follow @Bombardier_Aero on Twitter to receive the latest news and updates from Bombardier Aerospace.

Visit Bombardier Commercial Aircraft's "one stop" news centre for news, product information, videos, photos and social media activity: http://Press.CommercialAircraft.Bombardier.com.

Bombardier, CRJ, CRJ900, CSeries, Dash 8, NextGen, Smart Parts, Smart Services, Q400 and The Evolution of Mobility are trademarks of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries.