Jazz Aviation LP begins transition of Heavy Maintenance operation to a standalone business and wins new third-party heavy maintenance contract

HALIFAX, May 3, 2016 /CNW/ - Today, Jazz Aviation LP ("Jazz") announced that it has signed a five-year heavy maintenance agreement with Air Georgian Limited of Mississauga, Ontario. Under this contract Jazz's Heavy Maintenance business will perform the heavy maintenance repair and overhaul requirements for Air Georgian's fleet of CRJ100 and CRJ200 aircraft. The work will be carried out at Jazz's Heavy Maintenance facility at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and is expected to commence in the summer of 2016.

"We are very pleased that Air Georgian has chosen Jazz heavy maintenance as its CRJ100/200 repair and overhaul provider," said Colin Copp, President, Jazz. "Jazz is well recognized in the industry as a high quality maintenance operator with skilled technicians and unmatched experience with Bombardier regional aircraft. This agreement represents a meaningful business opportunity to generate incremental revenue and to strengthen our competitive edge by reducing unit costs through organic growth."

In the coming months, Jazz will further strengthen its market competitiveness by transitioning its heavy maintenance business to a separate division of Jazz. The new division, to be named Jazz Technical Services, will focus on the heavy maintenance, repair and overhaul of Bombardier aircraft. This dedicated focus will enable it to offer customers a disciplined, cost-management approach. It will also provide operational benefits and cost efficiencies, thereby creating opportunities to grow beyond the work it does today for Jazz.

About Jazz Aviation LP

Jazz Aviation LP has a strong history in Canadian aviation with its roots going back to the 1930s. Jazz is owned by Chorus Aviation Inc. and continues to generate some of the strongest operational and financial results in the North American aviation industry. As the largest regional airline in Canada, Jazz has a proven track record of industry leadership and exceptional customer service, and has leveraged that strength to deliver value to all its stakeholders. Jazz currently has a workforce of approximately 4,200 professionals highly experienced in the challenging and complex nature of regional operations.

Under a capacity purchase agreement with Air Canada, using the Air Canada Express brand, Jazz provides service to and from lower-density markets as well as higher-density markets at off-peak times throughout Canada and to and from certain destinations in the United States. In May 2016, Jazz is operating scheduled passenger service on behalf of Air Canada with approximately 670 departures per weekday to 57 destinations in Canada and to 14 destinations in the United States. With a fleet of 110 Canadian-made Bombardier aircraft, Jazz flies more daily flights to more Canadian destinations than any other airline.

Under the Jazz brand, the airline offers charters throughout North America with a dedicated fleet of five Bombardier aircraft for corporate clients, governments, special interest groups and individuals seeking more convenience. Jazz also has the ability to offer airline operators services such as ground handling, dispatching, flight load planning, training and consulting.

For more information, visit www.flyjazz.ca.

SOURCE Jazz

Manon Stuart, [phone], Canada - East / Atlantic, [email protected]; Debra Williams, [phone], Canada - Central / West, [email protected]; Teri Udle, [phone], United States, [email protected]