Industry Overview
Canadian aerospace companies are global market leaders in regional aircraft, business jets and commercial helicopters. Canadian companies that produce aircraft include Bombardier Aerospace and Bell Helicopter Textron.
Regional Aircraft
Since entering service in 1992, the Bombardier CRJ Regional Jet has revolutionized airline travel, becoming the aircraft of choice in the regional jet sector. Today, with some 600 in service and another 1,500 on order or option, the CRJ has become the most successful regional aircraft in history. With 50- (CRJ 200), 70- (CRJ 700) and 86-seat (CRJ 900) versions, the CRJ family offers unparalleled choice to regional airlines around the world. It brings fast, frequent and comfortable air transportation to thousands of communities. Bombardier CRJs are in service or on order with more than 35 airlines across the globe.
Bombardier’s Q-Series Dash 8 family of regional turboprops has an enviable reputation among the world's leading regional airlines. Designed for high passenger comfort, reliability, maintainability and low operating costs, the Q-Series Dash 8 is the market leader in the 20 to 90 seat turboprop class. The qualities that make the Dash 8 Q Series an outstanding passenger aircraft also make it an ideal multi-mission aircraft.
Business Jets
Bombardier leads the global business jet business with a range of products that include the light and midsize Learjet family, the wide-body Challenger 604 and the ultra-long range Global Express. The newest additions to the Bombardier stable of business jets are the super midsize Challenger 300 and the Global 5000 Super-Large Business Jet, a smaller derivative of the Global Express.
Commercial Helicopters
Bell Helicopter Textron is the world’s leading producer of rotary wing aircraft. Bell’s Commercial Helicopter Division is responsible for the design, manufacturing and after sales support for all Bell’s commercial helicopters. The current line of commercial aircraft from Bell Helicopter fulfills many needs for many industries – from Emergency Medical Services (EMS), to Resource Exploration, to Law Enforcement, to Search-and-Rescue. The Bell line of commercial helicopters includes the Bell 407 light duty single and Bell 427 light duty twin, the state-of-the-art Bell 430 intermediate twin, a perfect choice for corporate transportation an EMS service, and the Bell 412 utility twin, ideally suited to rugged terrain and harsh environments.
Eurocopter Canada Ltd (ECL), operating in Canada since 1984 is a subsidiary of Eurocopter, the world’s largest designer and manufacturer of civil and military helicopters. Eurocopter is a Division of EADS, a world leader in aerospace, defence and related services. Eurocopter offers a more extensive product range than any of its competitors. ECL provides a broad range of services: aircraft sales, manufacturing, engineering, and 24/7 nation-wide customer support. The head office and manufacturing facility is located in Fort Erie, ON; Customer Support Centers are located in Richmond, BC and in Montreal, PQ. Today, ECL supports 166 customers who collectively operate more than 600 aircraft in Canada.
Eurocopter Canada is part of a network of 28 subsidiaries worldwide. ECL performs completions for export markets, develops options and manufactures composite components for the EC group. ECL also offers complete helicopter support including; blade repair, as well as, new and used aircraft customization. The ECL engineering department is a Design Approval Organization (DAO) certified for the development and flight testing of aircraft options and modifications.
Special Purpose, Training, Recreational, and Utility Aircraft
The Bombardier 415 amphibian is a high-wing, turboprop aircraft specifically designed for firefighting. It features a four-compartment, four-door water tank system that can hold 6137 litres (1621 US gallons) of water/foam mixture and refills its tanks by skimming the surface of any suitable body of water. In its firefighting configuration, the Bombardier 415 is ideal for initial attacks on forest fires, getting to the fire at the earliest stages and repeatedly dropping large amounts of fire-suppressing foam. The Bombardier 415 amphibian is also well suited to other missions such as maritime surveillance, coastal patrol, search and rescue, utility transport and resource protection.