The Legault government has been counting for more than a year on scenarios to replace its Challenger jets used for medical air transport which have recently experienced a series of dramatic failures. Everything indicates that Quebec will once again turn to a platform developed by Bombardier at the end of the 1970s.
What there is to know
- The fleet of government planes used to transport patients by air experienced a series of failures in early January during which a patient died on the tarmac in Val-d’Or.
- The two Challenger jets operated by Quebec are at the end of their useful life, according to our information.
- A series of documents obtained following an access to information request show that Quebec is studying different scenarios to replace these devices, including the purchase of a new plane.
This is what emerges from email exchanges between officials from the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility (MTMD) obtained under the Act respecting access to documents held by public bodies and the protection of personal information and consulted by The Press.
Several passages of the emails are redacted. It was therefore not possible to know, for example, whether we were leaning towards new or used jets. One thing is certain: Bombardier’s Challenger 650, an improved version of the aircraft in the Government Air Service (SAG) fleet, is in the lead.
“We should be able to present an update of the financial analysis concerning the selected scenario,” writes Lyne-Renée Faucher, director of projects and business optimization at SAG, in an email dated November 22. . “Also, it would be interesting to see a scenario [avec] A [appareil] used and a new one and a scenario of a [appareil] used and two new. »
The list price of a civilian version of the Challenger 650 private jet is approximately US$32.5 million (CAN$43.9 million).
Presented in 2014, it is the most recent version of this platform from the end of the 1970s.
The aircraft manufacturer claims that this model is still popular with its customers, but several analysts wonder if this aircraft will continue to stand out from its competitors if it does not undergo a major update. .
A used jet for 6.5 million…
A presentation including acquisition cost estimates and which looks at elements such as the lifespan of the devices and the delivery times of a “medicalized” aircraft had been prepared for an “advisor committee”.
On its website, Bombardier says the Challenger 650 is an “ideal platform for specialized missions,” including medical transport.
“There are more specialized Challenger 600 series aircraft in operation than all of its direct competitors combined,” argues the business jet manufacturer.
In the meantime, the obsolescence of the Challenger 601s in the SAG fleet prompted Quebec to set aside up to 6.5 million to purchase another used copy of this aircraft. Without fanfare, a notice of intention to purchase was published last June to allow SAG to “secure its operations”.
“The Ministry cannot use another type of aircraft, because this solution does not guarantee immediate rapid operation,” we can read on the government tenders website. Delays due to the training of its technical, medical or pilot staff would delay the rapid putting into operation of the device. »
…but already sold
The problem: Quebec seems to have had the rug pulled out from under its feet. Awarded to the company International Aircraft Marketing & Sales, a broker specializing in the purchase and sale of used aircraft and based in Saratoga, Florida, this over-the-counter contract has still not been concluded six months more late.
“The device that was targeted was sold. The Ministry is currently analyzing other options,” indicated MTMD spokesperson Émilie Lord by email on Wednesday.
“The Ministry is evaluating options for replacing the two Challengers 601. Work is underway to this end. In the meantime, the Ministry can count on a replacement contract for aeromedical patient transport services with qualified carriers,” she limited herself to confirming regarding the replacement of the government’s Challengers.
Present at the pre-sessional caucus of the Coalition Avenir Québec in Sherbrooke, the Minister of Transport, Geneviève Guilbault, refused to answer questions on this subject.
The Press reported last week that SAG’s Challenger jets had recently experienced a series of misfires in which a patient died on the tarmac in Val-d’Or, while all government aircraft were grounded for lack of pilots .
The two Challenger 601s, built by Bombardier in 1989 and 1994 respectively, have exceeded half of their useful life, i.e. more than 15,000 flight hours out of the 30,000 hour limit. This shortens maintenance schedules. They therefore meet more often in the workshop.
In 2017, The Quebec Journal reported that the SAG had paid around 1.8 million to acquire a Challenger in the United States to dismantle it in order to use its parts in order to rejuvenate parts of its own planes.
With Fanny Lévesque, The Press