De Havilland Canada Dash 8-200 (Q200)

Updated: October 2026 – A small high-wing aircraft with a T-tail, short fuselage and four-blade propellers taxis to the runway: at first glance that is a “small Dash 8”. Whether you are looking at a Dash 8-100 or the rarer Dash 8-200, the aircraft itself hardly tells you. The -200 is the higher-powered version of the original short model, built between 1995 and 2009 in only 105 examples. Here you will learn what makes it special, how to identify it reliably anyway and where you can still get it in front of your lens today.

What is the Dash 8-200?

The Dash 8 is a twin-engine regional turboprop that De Havilland Canada developed in the eighties. It began with the Dash 8-100 with about 37 to 39 seats, followed later by the stretched -300 and later still the large -400. Series 200 does not fit this pattern of ever longer fuselages: it is exactly as long as the -100 but has much more powerful engines.

The idea behind it was simple. On thin routes, many airlines did not need a bigger aircraft but one that flies faster, carries more payload and has more reserves at hot or high-altitude airfields. Under the then owner Bombardier, a version with Pratt & Whitney Canada PW123s was therefore created, delivering about 2,150 shaft horsepower (roughly 1,600 kW) per side. The Dash 8-200 was delivered from 1995.

The power shows in the figures. Cruise speed rises from about 270 knots on the -100 to around 289 knots, or about 535 km/h. Range grows to a good 2,000 kilometers, and maximum takeoff mass to about 16.5 tonnes. In the cabin everything stays the same: four seats per row, one center aisle, 37 to 40 seats depending on the configuration.

Series 200 was built until 2009, when Bombardier ended production of the small Dash 8 series Q200 and Q300. With a total of 105 built, it is by far the least-produced series of the family. In 2019, Bombardier sold the Dash 8 program to Longview Aviation Capital, which revived the old name De Havilland Canada. Since then, DHC has also supported the remaining -200s worldwide.

DHC-8-201, DHC-8-202 and Q200: the names sorted out

Several designations circulate around Series 200, all of which refer to the same basic type.

• DHC-8-201 is the sub-variant with PW123C engines.
• DHC-8-202 uses the PW123D.
• Q200 is the marketing name. From the second quarter of 1996, all newly delivered Dash 8s received an active system that dampens noise and vibration in the cabin. Bombardier then put a “Q” for “Quiet” in front of the models.

From the outside you cannot tell which engine variant or cabin system any of these aircraft has. Those details are in the register data for the registration. How to find such information is shown in the guide Finding a specific aircraft by registration. The engines themselves come from the PW100 family from Pratt & Whitney, which is found in many regional turboprops.

How to recognize a small Dash 8

Identifying the -200 works in two stages: first you confirm the family and fuselage length, then you settle the series via data.

If you are just starting out with identification, you will find the basic principle in the guide Identifying aircraft types for beginners. Why the landing gear reveals so much on turboprops is explained in the article Landing gear configurations as an identifying feature.

The Dash 8 family compared

All series share the high wing, T-tail and the gear in the nacelles. The differences are in length, engines and propellers.

Series	ICAO code	Length	Propellers	Special feature
Dash 8-100	DH8A	approx. 22.3 m	4 blades	Original version, new-build until 2005
Dash 8-200	DH8B	22.25 m	4 blades	same airframe as the -100, more powerful PW123, built 1995 to 2009
Dash 8-300	DH8C	approx. 25.7 m	4 blades	stretched, about 50 seats, built until 2009
Dash 8-400	DH8D	32.8 m	6 blades	large, fast version with up to 90 seats

The table shows the problem: between the -100 and -200 there is no difference you can reliably pin down by eye. You separate the -300 by length, and the Dash 8-400 by length and propellers. The profiles of the Dash 8-100 and the Dash 8-300 show the sisters in detail.

Dash 8-200 or other turboprops?

Besides its own sisters, there are several regional turboprops of a similar size with which the short Dash 8 can be confused. The ATR 42-600 is also a high-wing aircraft with about 40 to 50 seats and also has a T-tail. Its main gear, however, disappears into fairings low on the fuselage instead of into the engine nacelles, and the propellers have six blades instead of four. The Saab 340 and the Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia are low-wing aircraft, so their wings sit low on the fuselage. The Fokker 50 is also a high-wing aircraft but has a conventional tail and is longer.

The guide Telling the ATR 42/72 and Dash 8 apart offers an overview of all the common propeller-driven regional aircraft.

Who flew and flies the Dash 8-200

Series 200 went to regional airlines in North America, Europe and Australia. In the US, Horizon Air was a well-known operator: the 500th Dash 8 ever delivered was a -200 for Horizon in 1997. In Australia, today’s QantasLink at times used three Series 200 aircraft alongside its other Dash 8 versions. Special missions were added, such as a DHC-8-202 as a survey aircraft for the Australian navy and aircraft for coastal surveillance on behalf of the Australian customs authorities.

As early as 2018 the fleet was manageable: at that time, according to available overviews, 42 aircraft were still in service with 16 operators. For Europe, two airlines are the most reliable addresses, as of the latest fleet overviews from 2025:

• Widerøe operates four Dash 8-200s with 39 seats according to the fleet overview from August 2025. On top come a good twenty -100s, a few -300s and a large -400 fleet, so all four Dash 8 series are in use at Widerøe.
• Icelandair uses three Dash 8-200s with 37 seats that come from the former subsidiary Air Iceland Connect. Its domestic flights have run under the Icelandair brand since March 2021. Besides the -200s, Icelandair also flies some Dash 8-400s.

In Germany, Austria and Switzerland you practically do not see the Dash 8-200 in scheduled service. A chance encounter on a ferry or charter flight is possible but cannot be planned.

Region	Hit chance	Why
Norway	medium	Widerøe mixes the -200 with -100s and -300s in its regional network
Iceland (domestic)	medium	Icelandair flies three -200s alongside the -400
DACH region	very low	no regular scheduled operator
North America, Australia	low	former large operators have given up the type, individual aircraft still fly

Spotting tour: Dash 8-200 in Norway

If you want to collect Series 200 deliberately, it is best to plan a trip to Norway. Widerøe is at home in Bodø, and right at the airport is the Norwegian Aviation Museum. The spot at the aviation museum in Bodø combines a museum visit with regional traffic, and with a bit of luck the whole Dash 8 family rolls past you there. Widerøe is also present at Oslo Airport, but which series flies on which route changes.

An overview of other small airlines that still use turboprops in Europe is in the article Regional airlines in Europe.

How to keep type designators and registrations in view live is explained in the guide Flight tracking with ADS-B for spotters. Whether your vantage point is legally unproblematic is covered in the article Is plane spotting legal?.

Photo tips for the small Dash 8

The Dash 8-200 is a compact subject. The short fuselage, the high tail and the four-blade propellers need some attention so that the picture does not look like a model plane.

You can calculate in advance when the light suits your spot with the guide Planning the sun position for your photo spot. In the far north especially, the sun stands low in winter and almost around the clock in summer, which changes the planning considerably.

Why the -200 stayed so rare

There are several reasons why only 105 Series 200 aircraft were built. The Dash 8-100 was already widespread, and many airlines were fine with its performance. Anyone who wanted more capacity went for the -300 with about 50 seats or later for the large -400. The -200 served a niche: operators who needed more speed and reserves on short, thin routes without being able to sell more seats.

On top of that came competition from regional jets. In the late nineties and the 2000s, many regional airlines turned to jets like the Bombardier CRJ200, also from the then manufacturer’s own house, Bombardier. The market for propeller aircraft with under 40 seats shrank, and in 2009 production of the small Dash 8 series ended.

For spotters that has a pleasant side: the -200 is one of the types that even experienced collectors do not tick off in passing. How to judge how special your sighting is is described in the article Spotting rare aircraft.

Conclusion

The Dash 8-200 is the Dash 8 for connoisseurs: a -100 on the outside, more power inside, built in only 105 examples. At the spot you identify it via T-tail, gear in the nacelles, four propeller blades and the short fuselage down to the “small Dash 8”, and the registration and type designator DH8B do the rest. Your best chances are in Norway with Widerøe and in Iceland with Icelandair.