Avianor announces $70M construction of maintenance center for A220 aircraft
by CM Staff
The 105,000 sq. ft. hangar will reportedly create over 100 highly specialized maintenance jobs.
Present in the photo: Benoit Hudon, President and CEO of DRAKKAR Aerospace & Ground Transportation, Hugo Brouillard, Vice President and COO of Avianor, and Denis Deschamps, Co-founder, President and CEO of DRAKKAR. (CNW Group/Avianor)
MONTREAL — Avianor, a company owned by DRAKKAR Aerospace & Ground Transportation, which has specialized aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) and cabin integration, announces the official launch of the construction of its Center of Excellence for the A220 aircraft at the Montreal-Mirabel International Airport (YMX). The announcement was made by Denis Deschamps, Co-founder, President and CEO of DRAKKAR, accompanied by the Minister of the Economy, Innovation and Energy (MEIE), Mr. Pierre Fitzgibbon, at the International Paris Air Show – Le Bourget, held in Paris between June 19 and 25, alongside the world’s aerospace cluster.
Scheduled to open in Fall of 2024, the Center of Excellence represents an investment of more than $70 million in infrastructure, digitization and equipment, including a government grant of $9 million from the Minister of the Economy, Innovation and Energy. The 105,000 sq. ft. hangar will reportedly create over 100 highly specialized maintenance jobs.
Avianor will therefore have four (4) additional maintenance lines to accommodate the A220 aircraft and potentially other types of narrow-body aircraft programs, for a total asset of seven (7) maintenance lines in service.
“The A220 Center of Excellence represents an extremely decisive and significant milestone for Avianor and all our customers, community, partners and suppliers. The implementation of new maintenance software and the modernization of our aircraft maintenance and cabin integration facilities will add tremendous value to our service offering,” said Hugo Brouillard, Avianor’s Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.
“In aerospace, Quebec knows how to showcase its expertise and ingenuity. We do this by supporting promising projects like Avianor, and by looking to the future through innovation and the sharing of knowledge. Today’s announcement is a reminder that it’s SMEs like Avianor that make Quebec’s aerospace sector stand out,” said Pierre Fitzgibbon, Minister of the Economy, Innovation and Energy, Minister responsible for Regional Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Greater Montreal Area.
“The creation of the A220 Center of Excellence reinforces the expertise developed on a product designed, manufactured and assembled in Quebec. By increasing its maintenance and repair capabilities, Quebec is becoming a true benchmark for the A220 program. This Center of Excellence is also a positive symbol for the next generation, a clear indication of the industry’s growth and the promising employment opportunities it offers,” said Mélanie Lussier, President and CEO, Aéro Montréal.
“The A220 Center of Excellence is one of the anchor projects in Quebec’s Aerospace Innovation Zone. This center will position Mirabel as one of the few places in the world where aircraft can be designed, developed, manufactured, tested, delivered and maintained,” concluded Mirabel mayor Patrick Charbonneau.
