Boeing and Espace Aéro: Greater Montreal stands out!
The 2024 edition of Aéro Montréal’s International Aerospace Innovation Forum opened strong with two major announcements that speak to the global enthusiasm for the metropolitan region’s aerospace industry.
First, U.S. aerospace giant Boeing enhances its presence with a CDN$240 million investment in three key initiatives in Greater Montréal:
- $110M for a brand-new Aerospace Development Centre
- $95M dedicated to advancing the development Wisk Aero’s autonomous, passenger carrying air taxi
- $35M to advanced landing gear research in partnership with Héroux-Devtek
“Québec’s aerospace capabilities are recognized worldwide, and we are excited to partner with the province on new initiatives that will generate cutting-edge technologies, drive economic growth and support decarbonization of aviation,” said Dr. Brendan Nelson AO, President of Boeing Global.
Boeing’s investment comes as the Québec government announced the creation of Espace Aéro, Québec’s 4th innovation zone. Led by Aéro Montréal, the project’s mission is to enhance Quebec’s attractiveness in the aerospace field by focusing on two strategic areas: decarbonization and advanced air mobility.
The region’s expertise will be pooled within its three major aerospace clusters:
- The Longueuil hub, home to leading aerospace training programs, as well as world-renowned companies such as Pratt & Whitney Canada, Héroux-Devtek and H55 Canada
- The Mirabel hub, home to aircraft manufacturing, maintenance and even recycling activities, as well as Aéroports de Montréal facilities for testing and simulating new technologies
- The Montréal hub, home to industry leaders such as Bombardier, Stelia (Airbus) and CAE, as well as the École Polytechnique, Concordia University, the École de technologie supérieure and McGill University, all of which are major assets to the ecosystem.
The Québec government is contributing a total of $85M to these projects. Premier François Legault was joined by numerous elected officials for the event.
“I’m particularly proud that Quebéc is now the only place in the world to host the three aviation giants – Airbus, Boeing and Bombardier. It says a lot about the quality of our business environment, but also about the talent of the Québec workforce and the research being carried out here. The new Espace Aéro innovation zone will strengthen Québec’s expertise in aerospace,” said Québec Premier François Legault.
For more on the Espace Aéro innovation zone, see the Québec government press release.
For details on Boeing’s investment in Montréal, see the company’s press release.