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French aeronautics group Latecoere, which specializes in three complementary fields of activity: aerostructures, wiring systems, and engineering and services, is pursuing its international development by setting up a new Canadian subsidiary in Greater Montréal. The company plans to hire 60 employees by 2014. This expansion of Latecoere Group outside of the European continent is being carried out through its subsidiary LATecis and will enable it to strengthen its relationship with its principal Canadian customer, Bombardier, for which it has already designed aerostructures. LATecis Canada will also be responsible for developing new business relationships with numerous companies present in Canada in the aeronautics, space, defence and transportation sectors.
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Dalhousie University, in Halifax, is receiving funding from Boeing to support R&D projects to strengthen the aerospace industry. The projects include: advanced materials development, mobile graphics, and visual and text analytics. "The research community at Dalhousie values our relationships with the private sector, not only for the advancement of knowledge but also for commercial applications that improve quality of life and create good jobs," said Dalhousie Vice President of Research Martha Crago.
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Aircraft engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC), in Mississauga, Ontario, is to market new products, increase competitiveness and provide support to Ontario aerospace industry. As a result of recent tax changes in Ontario, taxes on business investment were cut in half, making Ontario more competitive and encouraging new business investments. The development of more electric engine technologies will help operators to reduce their fuel consumption and emissions, decreasing the impact of air travel on the environment. New manufacturing processes will also help to reduce waste and increase efficiency.
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Ottawa renewed its funding of the Quebec Aerospace Association with a grant of nearly $1 million for three years. The minister of transport, infrastructure and communities and minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, called the financial aid “essential (to develop) well-targeted strategies to help our innovative enterprises grow and prosper, both in Canada and abroad.” The group has about 229 members who employ 39,500 people in the aerospace industry in the province. The supplier network is in transition, attempting to switch from a produce-on-demand sector for large aviation manufacturers to making more value added products.
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Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker spoke of the airline’s entry into the Canadian market as a significant step in its expansion strategy. The launch of the non-stop flight between Doha and Montreal is the eighth new route launched by the carrier with a further seven destinations being added by November. Montreal becomes the airline’s fourth destination in North America. It currently operates daily flights to New York, Washington and Houston direct from Doha, the second busiest airport in the Gulf region. The Qatar Airways’ group of companies includes a corporate jet division, Qatar Executive, which operates four new Canadian-built Bombardier aircraft.
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Rio Tinto Alcan's Dubuc plant in Quebec will increase its production of highly specialized AIRWARE alloys for the aeronautical industry by more than 50% following the signing of a contract with Constellium's Global Aerospace division. The president of Constellium's Global Aerospace division said that to meet the requirements of the new contract, Dubuc Works will need to expand its current operations.
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Pratt & Whitney is showing interest in a Mirabel site to build and test its next-generation engine, a move that would bolster the Montreal area as one of the world's premier aerospace centres. Quebec prizes its aerospace companies, which make Bombardier jets, Bell helicopters and CAE flight simulators, among hundreds of other products. The aerospace industry has just under 40,000 direct employees in the province.
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Rentech Inc., a Canadian clean-energy solutions company, has partnered with the government of Ontario to establish the first commercial-scale facility of its kind in the world to produce certified renewable jet fuel from wood fiber. This kind of collaborative, innovative and supportive approach to aerospace should come as no surprise to investors and others who do business in Ontario, said the government.
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AAA Canada, a sub-contracting specialist in the industrial aerospace production sector, announced plans to expand in the Greater Montreal area, looking to create over 210 new jobs by 2013. AAA Canada is a subsidiary of French group Aeronautical & Aerospace Assistance (AAA).
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Canada and Russia signed a declaration to make both countries more competitive. The countries signed an MoU to work together to develop their the aerospace sectors. They also agreed to cooperate on science and technology to map out possible collaborative areas in climate studies, energy, nanotechnology, biomedicine and Arctic research. According to Canadian government numbers, bilateral trade with Russia totalled $2.8 billion in 2010, an increase of 12.3% from the previous year.
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The Aerospace and Defense Research Collaboratory at Arizona State University's Polytechnic campus in Mesa wants to formalize its connections with a Canadian organization to spur more activity for one of the state's key industries. Aero Montreal and the Arizona group are in talks to partner on research, conferences, student exchanges and more. The Business Journal reports that the connection would represent a stronger partnership between the aerospace communities in Arizona and in Canada, which already have a healthy link.
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Pratt & Whitney Canada and GE Aviation are looking at developing engines for larger turboprop aircraft. Regional jets have grown from having 50 seats to as many as 90, adding value along the way. "It is a natural evolution of the 70-seat into a 90-seat aircraft, so I think if it were available tomorrow, the airlines would go for it," said Richard Dussault, vice president of marketing at P&W.
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Pratt & Whitney Canada, a unit of American-based Pratt & Whitney, plans to stay long term in Mirabel to construct plane engines that will be assembled in the region, said John Saabas, P&WC President. P&WC's Mirabel Aerospace Centre, an assembly and test facility featuring advanced manufacturing technologies, is open and ready for production. At the facility, P&WC will assemble and test the PurePower PW1524G for the Bombardier CSeries aircraft and the advanced PurePower PW800 family of engines for the next generation of large business jets.
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Airports Council International (ACI) inaugurated its World headquarters in Montréal, in collaboration with Montréal International. The international organization (IO), which comprises 580 member airport authorities operating more than 1,650 airports in 179 countries, will thus be closer to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and other air transportation IOs already established in Montréal. ACI World’s mission is to promote excellence in airport management and operations around the world and to represent airports interests with Governments and international organizations.
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According to a report from RNCOS, “Canadian Aerospace Industry Future Outlook,” the Canadian aerospace industry is expected to continue its impressive growth in coming years, with a major contribution from the civil aviation segment. Based on defence spending and other factors, the study foresees some dynamic market developments in aircrafts and aircrafts parts sector, which will help market to post 6.7% CAGR growth during 2010-2013. The report also found that the country will observe growth across all sub segments of the market, with the primary driver for the overall market being the aircraft and aircraft parts segment, which has secured double digit CAGR growth during the last decade on the back of activities from the global aerospace OEM’s and suppliers.
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Suresh Kumar, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Trade Promotion and Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service will lead a U.S. Aerospace Supplier Trade Mission of 21 companies to Montreal, May 2-4, 2011. Canada's aerospace industry is the fifth largest in the world, with $22.2 billion in revenues in 2009. The United States is Canada's largest supplier of aircraft parts and components. In 2009, U.S.- Canada aerospace bilateral trade exceeded $13 billion, and total U.S. aerospace exports to Canada were approximately $6 billion.
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European Aeronautic Defense & Space's (EADS) helicopter unit, Eurocopter Holding, will acquire Canada's Vector Aerospace for about $640.8 million. As per the deal, Vector will retain its name and will become Eurocopter's main provider of maintenance, repair and overhaul services.
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Florida based Night Flight Concepts (NFC) announced plans to expand operations into Canada, timed with the unveiling of a partnership with Helicopter Transport Services (Canada) Inc. HTSC and NFC will offer aerospace organizations in Canada and abroad, "safety, reduce cost and increase performance," with NFC's night vision goggles.
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Altair Engineering, Inc., a provider of simulation technology and engineering services for the aerospace industry, has opened an office in Montreal. This expansion follows an increase in demand for Altair's HyperWorks suite of computer-aided engineering tools among major aerospace manufacturers and suppliers in Canada. The new office will conduct technical support and engineering projects and is consulting with aerospace companies on deployment of the HyperWorks product line.
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Textron Systems has opened a new facility located in Ottawa, which will initially operate as a business office. The company offers products to the defense, homeland security and aerospace communities. Textron already employs more than 1,800 people in Canada. The Ottawa office will compete for the Department of National Defence Canadian Forces' Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicle program. Its global headquarter is located in Providence, RI.
