De Havilland Aircraft of Canada (DHC, Toronto Downsview) is contemplating producing first a shorter version of the Dash 8-400 and then a lengthened one, Chief Operating Officer Todd Young told Skies Magazine in an interview.

"We’ve been starting initial discussions on possible variants of the aircraft. This would be a shorter aircraft in the range of 50 to 60 seats. That would be a possible replacement to the original Dash 8-300, albeit based on a Dash 8-400 configuration," Young said.

The Canadian manufacturer, owned by Longview Aviation Capital Corp., is planning to test market demand for a shorter version of the Dash 8 in the near future. Young underlined that a lengthened Dash 8-400 version, seating up to 100 passengers, is also in the works, although has a lower priority compared to the smaller turboprop.

Young underlined that both variants of the Dash 8 were already a part of the plan when the programme was owned by Bombardier Aerospace but were never developed. He added that the manufacturer will be talking to Dash 8 operators to discuss their needs and evaluate the future of the type.

According to the ch-aviation fleets module, De Havilland had outstanding orders for 44 Dash 8-400s as of October 31, 2019. The largest outstanding customer is India's SpiceJet (SG, Delhi International) with firm orders for a further 19, on top of 32 it already operates.

De Havilland has no plans to revive production of smaller Dash 8 family members, namely the Dash 8-100, the Dash 8-200, and the -300.

Longview acquired the Dash 8 programme from Bombardier in mid-2019. The holding also owns Viking Air (VKN, Victoria International), the manufacturer of DHC-6-400s.