70 million investment in Mirabel - Avianor announces construction of a center of excellence for A220 aircraft

Avianor announces the official launch of the construction of its Center of Excellence for A220 aircraft at Montreal-Mirabel International Airport (YMX). Scheduled to open in autumn 2024, the Center of Excellence represents an investment of over $70 million in state-of-the-art infrastructure, digitization and equipment, including $9 million in government assistance from the Ministère de l'Économie, de l'Innovation et de l'Énergie. The brand-new 1000 m2 hangar will create over 100 highly specialized maintenance jobs. 

Avianor will thus have four additional maintenance lines to accommodate A220 aircraft and potentially other types of single-aisle aircraft programs, for a total asset of seven maintenance lines in service.

Hugo Brouillard, Avianor's Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, commented: "The A220 Center of Excellence represents an extremely decisive and significant milestone for Avianor and all our customers, our Avianor 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." 

Benoit Hudon, President and CEO of DRAKKAR Aerospace & Ground Transportation, said: "As soon as we acquired Avianor in 2019, the strategic lever of our medium- and long-term growth plan was to set up a world-class maintenance and cabin integration center in our ecosystem. Thanks to our launch customer, Air Canada, for the maintenance of their A220s, and the support of many stakeholders who are mobilizing to make our Quebec aerospace industry shine, this vision is now being realized at a higher level with the Center of Excellence, which is enabling us to become a benchmark in North America." 

Mélanie Lussier, President and CEO, Aéro Montréal, stated: "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 signal for the next generation, a further illustration of the industry's growth and the stimulating jobs that come with it."

"Air Canada has a well-established relationship with Avianor, notably as a launch customer for airframe maintenance on our fleet of Airbus A220 aircraft at the Mirabel site, located near our international hub in Montreal, at the heart of the Canadian aerospace industry. We share the same deep commitment to safety, quality and operational reliability. We therefore welcome this investment and are delighted with the creation of this Centre of Excellence, which will make Avianor an even stronger partner for us", said Craig Landry, General Vice-President and COO.

"With 265 A220 aircraft delivered and in service with airlines here and around the world, and with nearly 800 A220s in total on order, it is necessary that aircraft maintenance capabilities be able to grow as the fleet grows," expressed Benoît Schultz, CEO of Airbus Canada.

"As a real estate partner, MACH is proud to take part in the creation of this new state-of-the-art infrastructure, combining innovation and performance, and thus contributing to the international reputation of the Quebec aeronautics industry and its expertise. The establishment of this new center of excellence is also a unique opportunity to contribute to economic growth and job creation in the Mirabel region," noted MACH President Vincent Chiara.

"ADM Aéroports de Montréal is particularly proud to welcome the construction of the brand-new Center of Excellence for the A220, the world's most powerful aircraft, on its YMX Aérocité internationale de Mirabel site. For the past ten years, our site has stood out thanks to the quality of the partners who, like Avianor and Airbus, decide to establish or expand their activities here. In so doing, they help create a solid base that propels research and development in the aeronautics sector to new heights, and promotes our unique expertise and know-how on the international stage", said Philippe Rainville, President and CEO of ADM Aéroports de Montréal.

"The A220 Center of Excellence is one of the anchor projects in Quebec's Aerospace Innovation Zone. This center will make Mirabel one of the few places in the world where aircraft can be designed, developed, manufactured, tested, delivered and maintained," concluded Mirabel mayor Patrick Charbonneau.