Originally Posted by Fokker28
The airplane has many other features that are similarly behind the times. The only possible rationale, in my view, is the maintenance of a common type rating with the previous Qs, thus making the thing easier to pitch to the beancounters (although we don't fly more than one variant per pilot at QX).
Or... (from Air Transport Intelligence October 13, 2000)
The airline (SAS) has ordered a total of 22 aircraft to replace its Fokker 50s, but when it entered service in February this year it was four months behind schedule because of unspecified development and manufacturing difficulties encountered by Bombardier.
SAS had been deeply involved in the specification of the aircraft, demanding and getting major changes to the cockpit layout after expressing considerable unhappiness over the original design.