Brian Dunn/Montreal
A delegation of some 25 Canadian aerospace companies are due to meet with Airbus Industrie officials in Toulouse this month in a bid to supply parts for the proposed A3XX aircraft.
"Canada's industrial partnership with Airbus is not great," says Pete Boag, director of operations at the Aerospace Industry Association of Canada (AIAC). "On the other hand, we're the leading supplier outside the USA to Boeing."
The delegation is hoping to get in on the ground floor, before the A3XX gets off the drawing board. "This is a unique opportunity for Canadian aerospace firms," Boag believes, acknowledging that it is difficult to break into existing aircraft programmes because supplier relationships already exist.
In addition to promoting the Canadian industry's expertise, the delegation will argue that Canada has been a good customer for Airbus and that the European consortium should reciprocate by placing more work in Canada.
Source: Flight International
