De Havilland of Canada is launching three cargo options based on its popular Dash 8-400.

De Havilland Aircraft of Canada, manufacturer of the popular Dash 8-400 turboprop, has launched three cargo conversion options for operators already flying in the cargo industry or looking to grow in that space. De Havilland knows its plane can work well in the cargo sector - the Q-400 is a tough plane, relatively fuel efficient, and can get in and out of airports where larger jets cannot go, all while carrying a decent payload.

It also doesn't hurt that demand for air freighters is growing. While most of the media attention focuses on big freight airlines ordering big planes, there's an increasing amount of activity in the smaller plane market. Other aircraft manufacturers, like ATR with their 72-600 freighter and Textron's Cessna SkyCourier, are finding some success in this space. Now de Havilland wants to join the pack.

De Havilland has launched what it calls the Dash 8-400 Quick Change (Dash 8-400 QC) option, the Dash 8-400 Package Freighter (Dash 8-400 PF) option, and the Dash 8-400 Freighter with Large Cargo Door (Dash 8-400 F-LCD) option.

The Quick Change (QC) solution offers airlines the flexibility to convert the Dash 8-400 aircraft between all-passenger and all-cargo configurations. De Havilland says that allows operators to easily switch between passenger and freight configurations as needed.

"As the cargo market continues to grow, our cargo conversion solutions will easily enhance the overall value and extend the already high revenue-generating capabilities of the Dash 8-400 aircraft," said Jean-Philippe Côté, Vice President of Programs at De Havilland Canada. "We are ready to provide a wide range of OEM support as desired by our operators – from kit installation to on-site support through our global support infrastructure."

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In the case of the QC aircraft, De Havilland says swapping from passenger configuration to all cargo configuration can be done in a "short time," although removing all those seats would take some time. The plane must also be fitted out with a new smoke detection system in the cabin to convert it into a Class E (cargo) compartment, although presumably that only needs to be done once.

The Package Freighter (PF) is a dedicated freighter. Aside from no seats, the main point of difference from a conventional Q-400 is the additional access doors. The primary cargo access door is in the same position as the aft LHS baggage compartment door in all Dash 8-400 aircraft. But there are four additional access doors (one at the front and one at the back on each side of the aircraft) to facilitate the quick loading and unloading of cargo. De Havilland shared a statement, commenting,

"It is ideal for the transportation of e-commerce packages. An optional cargo loading system is also available for palletized cargo."

As the name suggests, the Large Cargo Door (LCD) option provides a large cargo door and cargo loading system to provide a containerized cargo model that enables the transport of unit load device (ULD) pallets or containers. The aircraft can load and carry as many as eight LD3 sized (60.4" x 61.5") containers. De Havilland says the LCD freighter would give an airline the capacity to easily handle the interline transfer of containers from other aircraft and would nicely suit hub-and-spoke network carriers and major logistics operators.

The launch of the three cargo conversion options coincides with some design modifications to the Dash 8-400 that will provide a weight increase of up to 3,000 lb (1,360 kg) in payload (maximum zero fuel weight) and an increase of up to 2,000 lb (907 kg) to the maximum take-off weight.

"These weight increases significantly enhance the operational capability of the aircraft to carry more passengers, more bags, more cargo, and more fuel, and provide more range than ever before," says the accompanying statement.

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