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Recent announcements made by Bombardier Aerospace with respect to realigning their business operations to meet the objectives in their strategic plan have garnered a great deal of attention.
These announcements, although difficult and challenging, are taken to ensure the future of Bombardier Aerospace as well as iconic Canadian aircraft programs.
The sale of the de Havilland Dash 8/Q-Series programs to Longview Aviation Capital Corp., parent company to Viking Air Limited, assures business continuity for this line through 2021 (at a minimum) while keeping this long standing program in Canada with an organization that has successfully continued the CL215-415 and Twin Otter. We are delighted to have this leading Canadian aircraft manufacturer call Ontario home.
As stated in Longview’s press announcement on November 8, 2018 (Canadian News Wire), “Longview will continue to independently operate the program at the original de Havilland manufacturing site located at Downsview, Ont., upon closing of the transaction. The Downsview site was sold by Bombardier earlier this year but, under the terms of a lease with the new owners and a license from Bombardier, production will remain on-site until at least 2021. As part of the transaction Longview also looks forward to welcoming Bombardier employees currently associated
with the production, support and sales of the Dash 8 program.”
OAC also looks forward to the new Centre of Excellence for Global Aircraft, Bombardier’s flagship business jet, being established at Pearson Airport. This represents a growth opportunity for the
Ontario aerospace sector with a long-term commitment of 20+ years of production.
Aerospace continues to be a highly competitive global market and requires all companies to streamline business operations through being cost efficient while maximizing productivity and
continually investing in innovation. Part of the restructuring process at Bombardier has resulted in announcing a workforce reduction of 3,000 jobs across Canada with 500 of those in Ontario over the next 12 to 18 months.
While it is important not to diminish the significant impact on those workers and their families, there continues to be a demand for skilled aerospace personnel throughout the sector. It is critical that we work together as an industry to retain those skills and talents in our respective geographies to ensure Canada’s place in this dynamic and growing global market.
