Manitoba’s aerospace industry got a boost Thursday as the expansion of StandardAero’s maintenance facility has been completed. The expansion is around 70,000 square feet of additional workspace to the Winnipeg facility and is going to allow the company to work on a pair of popular engines for commercial and military aircraft—the GE Aerospace CF34-3/8 and the CFM International CFM 56-7B. “Absolutely necessary to support growing demand for our customers’ markets,” said Chad Powers, the vice president and general manager of defence business. He said these engines are seen in things like the Boeing 737, while the CFM 56-7B is used for both commercial and military aircraft, including the CP8A Poseidon. “This expansion not only solidifies our existing jobs, but it allows us to grow the employee base across all categories, including skilled workers, inspectors, mechanics, skilled trades like machinists, welders, as well as professional services, engineering, finance, and supply chain management.” StandardAero started in Winnipeg in 1911 and originally worked on rebuilding engines for cars, trucks, and tractors before transitioning years later to the aerospace industry. Now, the company repairs and overhauls engines for multiple kinds of aircraft, repairing over 300 engines a year. Peter Wheatley, the vice president and general manager of the CF34 CFM56 Business Centre, said demand continues to grow for their services. “Coming out of COVID, the demand for air flight has gone through the roof, frankly, and continues to trend in a positive direction, despite any of the fuel issues that we’ve seen and otherwise,” said Wheatley. “Maintenance demand, there was a lot of pent-up maintenance demand coming through that period as well. So we put those two things together, and our company continues to go in the right direction.” Wheatley noted this expansion started in December of last year and doesn’t have anything to do with the ongoing trade war with the United States. He said they are fairly insulated from the entire dispute and it’s business as usual at the plant. The provincial government provided $3 million to help with the expansion. Business, Mining, Trade and Job Creation Minister Jamie Moses said the aerospace industry is an important sector in Manitoba. “The completed expansion in the aerospace sector will create good jobs for Manitoba workers and increase our provincial exports. Our government will continue making strategic investments that strengthen our economy and help ensure Manitoba’s aerospace sector remains competitive for years to come,” Moses said in a news release.
