Bombardier CRJ/Q Series heavy maintenance heads west	March 2004

Western U.S.-based regional airline operators of Bombardier CRJ regional jet and Q Series turboprop aircraft now have a heavy maintenance base closer to home. The Bombardier Regional Aircraft Services - Tucson facility officially opened March 30, 2004 with a Mesa Air Group CRJ900 already inside.

The facility is located at the Tucson International Airport, on the site of the Bombardier business aircraft completion center. The 131,000-square-foot (3,710 sq. m.) building can handle up to 10 regional aircraft at a time and offers heavy maintenance and modifications, structural repairs, component repair and overhaul, fabrication, welding, non-destructive and avionics and machine shops.

The Tucson facility is modeled after Bombardier's other heavy maintenance facility, West Virginia Air Center (WVAC) at Bridgeport, West Virginia, and uses the same systems and processes that have earned WVAC several Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) awards for excellence.

"We are supporting our Bombardier CRJ and Q Series operators, primarily those in the western U.S., by providing additional heavy maintenance capacity in Tucson," said Jeff Mihalic, Vice-president and General Manager, Customer Services, Bombardier Aerospace, Regional Aircraft. "We offer the lowest maintenance span time, meaning more aircraft availability for revenue service, and at a predictable and lower total cost.