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Dowty Propellers (Gloucester, UK) announced on July 18 at the Farnborough Air Show it has extended its support contract for propeller systems on SpiceJet’s (Gurugram, India) Bombardier Q400 regional airliner fleet, which the carrier is expanding with the purchase of 25 additional twin-engine aircraft.

Dowty Propellers’ in-country support resources are centered at Hyderabad — a SpiceJet operational hub in south-central India — where a purpose-built propeller repair shop was created in a joint initiative with SpiceJet. Providing the capability to repair propeller systems on-site since 2016, the Hyderabad facility has reduced turn-around time (TAT) and improved the repair work efficiency.

The Hyderabad propeller repair shop has the capacity to handle the increased service activity for SpiceJet’s enlarged Q400 aircraft fleet, and Dowty Propellers will augment its stock of parts and components at the facility accordingly.

Dowty Propellers’ R408 propeller system on the Q400 incorporates six all-composite blades with an advanced swept design and optimized airfoil sections. Featuring fail-safe electronic controls, the propeller system’s modular configuration eliminates mechanical control linkages to the cockpit, while facilitating the individual removal and replacement of blades.