Cobham has welcomed its sixth de Havilland Q400 aircraft to its lower-emission fleet dedicated to fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) services and charters for the mining and resources sector in Western Australia.
Cobham’s regional services managing director Claude Alviani said Cobham’s growing Q400 fleet catered to the increasing response by the energy and resources sector to reduce emissions, meet ESG (environment, social and governance) commitments and improve environmental outcomes.
“The Q400 turboprop has the lowest fuel consumption per passenger seat of any turboprop in the industry while maintaining jet-like speed,” Alviani said.
“It offers a 30 per cent reduction in fuel burn compared with competing regional jets, radically reducing carbon emissions.”
As a critical link in the resource sector, Cobham has been investing in the future of FIFO by progressively renewing its fleet with modern aircraft that offer a better passenger experience and greater benefits to the environment.
The E190 jet and Q400 turboprop provide greater flexibility of rosters, suitability for regional aerodromes, increased reliability, and low carbon emissions.
“Cobham is committed to providing air travel options with lower carbon emissions for a greener future and we have plans underway to introduce four more modern aircraft to our fleet in the coming months,” Alviani said.
Cobham is a leading specialist aviation operator in Australia, that provides FIFO services in support of mining, oil and gas projects, critical freight and VIP charter flights.
Earlier this year, Cobham commenced E190 flight services to the Sunrise Dam gold mine located 220km northeast of Kalgoorlie-Boulder.
Cobham provides six return flights per week to transport more than 600 workers to and from Sunrise Dam, using the E190 and Q400 aircrafts.
“We’re thrilled to bring the benefits of the Embraer E190 and Q400 aircraft to AngloGold Ashanti,” Cobham business development director Tim Pirga said.
Its fleet of Q400 and E190 aircraft types offer outstanding airfield performance, enhanced operational reliability and low carbon emissions.
“We look forward to welcoming additional E190 and Q400 aircraft to our fleet throughout 2022 to enable us to meet the increasing demand not only in the FIFO sector but also for ad hoc charter flights for a wide range of clients,” Pirga said.
The new Q400 aircraft is scheduled to commence flights in mid-February.