IATA DH1ICAO DH8A

De Havilland Canada DHC-8-100 Dash 8 / 8Q

De Havilland Canada

TravelerPulse profile

Pioneer regional turboprop that launched the Dash 8 family.

First flight

1983

Category

Regional turboprop

Seating

37–39

Range

1,889 km

Engines

Two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW120A turboprops

Status

In service

The De Havilland Canada DHC-8-100 Dash 8 is a twin-turboprop regional airliner developed by De Havilland Canada and introduced in the early 1980s. Designed to serve short-haul regional routes with improved fuel efficiency over jet aircraft, it became one of the most successful regional turboprops of its era. The -100 series is the original and shortest variant of the Dash 8 family, seating up to 37 passengers. It features a high-wing configuration, T-tail design, and Pratt & Whitney Canada PW120 series engines driving four-blade propellers. The aircraft is well suited to short, unpaved, or challenging airstrips common in regional operations. Production of the -100 series has ceased, but many examples remain in active service worldwide with regional and commuter carriers. The broader Dash 8 family was later rebranded as the Q Series (Q100, Q200, Q300, Q400) following Bombardier's acquisition and the addition of active noise-and-vibration suppression (NVS) systems.

Notable operators

Past and current operators include Air Canada Jazz, Horizon Air, Tyrolean Airways, Air Nelson, and numerous regional carriers worldwide.

Notable facts

›First flew on June 20, 1983, and entered airline service with NorOntair in 1984.
›High-wing T-tail design allows operations from short and unpaved airstrips.
›Later rebranded as the Q100 by Bombardier after introduction of the NVS noise-reduction system.
›The DHC-8-100 series established the platform for the larger -200, -300, and -400 variants.
›De Havilland Canada was acquired by Boeing in 1986 and later sold to Bombardier in 1992.