Victoria, B.C. aero firm wins U.S. award

LYNNWOOD, Wash.—Victoria, B.C-based aircaraft sales, service and maintenance company Viking Air was named Company of the Year by the Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance (PNAA) at the association’s 2015 conference in Lynnwood, Wash.

“Viking Air has grown quickly from its roots as an aircraft maintenance and repair operation to an original equipment manufacturer, and to a leader in the Canadian aerospace industry,” said Jim Quick, president and CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada. “Viking is an excellent example of the potential that exists for aerospace on Canada’s west coast.”

Viking Air employs 600 people and provided a range of services related to the seven de Havilland legacy aircraft, including manufacturing the fully modernized Twin Otter at a rate of one every 10 days.

About two dozen B.C. companies and organizations joined aerospace companies from across Canada, the U.S. and around the world at the PNAA conference, the largest aerospace event on the West Coast.

The British Columbia aerospace industry also used the event to raise its international profile by signing a mutual cooperation agreement with aerospace industry associations in B.C. and Washington State.

“With a strong core of skilled and innovative companies and proximity to the Asia-Pacific and the world’s largest commercial aerospace cluster in Washington State, the aerospace industry in B.C. has tremendous potential for growth and to establish increasing prominence on the Canadian stage as well as in international circles,” said Quick. “We welcome the opportunity for AIAC Pacific to work cooperatively with the PNAA to expose aerospace companies on both sides of the border to new opportunities.”