Horizon Air to operate only Q400 and CRJ700	May 2007

Horizon Air ordered an additional 15 Q400 quiet, high-speed turboprops in May, 2007 and said that with the delivery of these aircraft, it will operate only the 76-seat Q400 and 70-seat CRJ700 regional jet by the end of 2009. The Seattle, Washington-based Alaska Air Group subsidiary also took options on an additional 20 Q400 aircraft.

Horizon will become the largest North American operator of the Q400 with 48 aircraft.

"By putting the Q400 where we have smaller turboprop aircraft, we'll be able to grow capacity to better meet passenger demand and thus fend off competitors," said Pat Zachweija, Vice-president of Marketing and Product Planning at Horizon Air in a message to employees.

"With the Q400, we have a real opportunity to draw passengers back from their cars where driving is an alternative," he said.

Horizon Air has made full use of the Q400 aircraft's unique capabilities. It obtained the first approval for Head-up Guidance System operations allowing single-engine approaches in Category III weather conditions. The airline is also the first Q400 operator to obtain approval for Required Navigation Performance (RNP) 0.3 operations with curved approaches using the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration's "Special Aircraft and Aircrew Authorization Required" (SAAAR) rules.