New deal between De Havilland Canada and Wideroe
From Shyam Bhatia
FARNBOROUGH, July 20, 2026. Canadian aircraft manufacturer De Havilland Canada has chosen Scandinavian regional carrier Widerøe as the launch customer for a new maintenance programme that will allow its Dash 8-400 aircraft to spend more time in the air and less time undergoing routine inspections.
Announced at the Farnborough International Airshow, the agreement will see Widerøe introduce the company’s new A-Check Escalation Programme across its fleet of 17 Dash 8-400 turboprop aircraft.
The programme extends the interval between scheduled A-Checks from 800 to 1,200 flight hours, reducing the frequency of maintenance inspections while continuing to meet regulatory safety and airworthiness requirements.
Implementation has already begun and is expected to be completed over the next 12 months.
For regional airlines, where aircraft utilisation is critical to profitability, the longer maintenance intervals are expected to reduce downtime, increase fleet availability and lower the labour and material costs associated with scheduled servicing.
Rob Mobilio, De Havilland Canada’s Chief Commercial Officer, said the initiative was designed to improve fleet performance while maintaining the high standards of safety and reliability for which the Dash 8 family is known.
The agreement builds on an earlier collaboration between the two companies. In 2021, Widerøe and De Havilland Canada introduced similar maintenance interval extensions for the airline’s Dash 8-100, -200 and -300 aircraft.
Werner Skaue, Widerøe’s Director of Aircraft Trading, said the latest programme would enable the airline to keep more aircraft in commercial service while continuing to provide reliable operations for passengers.
The Dash 8 remains one of the world’s best-known regional turboprop aircraft, particularly on short-haul routes serving smaller airports and remote communities where its short take-off and landing capability offers airlines operational flexibility. De Havilland Canada says its aircraft are also widely used for specialist missions including aerial firefighting, search and rescue, medical evacuation and surveillance.
The company says more than 5,000 of its aircraft have been delivered to operators around the world, underlining the continuing importance of regional aviation despite growing competition from regional jets.
