St. John's ---28 Sept. 2006---Caribbean Star Airlines yesterday took delivery of its newest aircraft, a state-of-the-art Bombardier Q300 Dash-8 Model 315, completing a year-long fleet expansion programme that saw the carrier add four brand-new Q300s to its fleet. 

The newest of the four Q300s will begin service pending certification from the Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority (ECCAA).

Skip Barnette, president and CEO of Caribbean Star Airlines, as well as its sister carrier, Caribbean Sun Airlines, commented on the new aircraft, saying: “That new car smell is nice, but the smell of a new aircraft is on a whole other level, particularly here in the Caribbean where it’s been several years since new aircraft have been put into service. We’re proud to introduce these truly advanced and exceptionally comfortable aircraft to the region as we continue to strive to offer the very best air travel experience for our customers.”

World-renowned for their operating efficiency and comfort, the Q300 features a revolutionary NVS (Noise and Vibration Suppression) system that dramatically reduces cabin noise caused by normal fuselage vibration. This results in ultra-low in-flight noise levels not found on any other type of turboprop aircraft.

“In addition to offering an unbeatably comfortable in-flight experience for an aircraft of its size, the Q300 is also one of the most fuel-efficient aircraft anywhere in the world, which has its obvious advantages in these times of record-high fuel prices,” said Barnette.

The first of the four brand-new Q300s was added to the Caribbean Star fleet in January 2006 and features a special livery celebrating the Stanford 20/20 Cricket Tournament. Caribbean Star and Caribbean Sun were the “Official Airlines of the Stanford 20/20,” which recently took place in Antigua. Caribbean Star took delivery of the second Q300 in July 2006, while the third Q300 was added to the fleet in September 2006.

Each of the four new multi-million-dollar Q300 aircraft is being acquired through cash purchases and all are wholly owned by Caribbean Star Airlines.

The addition of the brand-new Q300s coupled with the previously announced removal of two Dash-8 100s from the Caribbean Star fleet leaves the carrier with a total complement of 11 aircraft – four Q300s, plus seven Dash-8 300s – each with a 50-seat capacity. From its base in St. John’s, Antigua, Caribbean Star serves 12 Caribbean gateways with 637 weekly flights.

Source: AntiguaSun.com