Boeing injects 240 million into Quebec | “We are here to stay”

Boeing is landing in Quebec “to stay” in the long term, says the head of the American aircraft manufacturer’s international activities. Listening to Brendan Nelson, the multinational has not finished announcing projects in the Quebec industry.

“There are other investments that we are going to make here in Montreal and we will do them later in the year, when the fruit is ripe,” explains the president of Boeing Global, in an interview with The Press, Tuesday. We budgeted the money, there’s no doubt about it. »

Mr. Nelson was part of a collection of personalities, which included, among others, Prime Minister François Legault and the federal Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne, who confirmed, on Tuesday, investments of 240 million led by Boeing in the province.

The Press announced these plans last week.

Formalized as part of Aéro Montréal’s Aerospace Innovation Forum, these projects were accompanied by financial support of 85 million from Quebec in order to set up an innovation zone which will be deployed in three poles: Longueuil (Saint-Hubert ), Montreal (Saint-Laurent) and Mirabel.

Taking into account private projects already underway with industry players such as Bombardier, Airbus and Pratt & Whitney, private and public investments amount to 415 million.

The president of Boeing Global did not comment on the other projects studied by the American manufacturer in Quebec. What was presented on Tuesday is far from being a front operation to give the impression that the company is generating benefits north of the Canadian-American border, assures Mr. Nelson.

The reputation of the American manufacturer is being undermined by the times following an event where the door of an Alaska Airlines aircraft came off in mid-flight as well as production problems, in particular. Mr. Nelson is well aware of this, but adds that this does not prevent the company from attracting new recruits.

“We recruited 14,000 people last year,” he says.

Promises to keep

Boeing must generate billions in economic benefits after obtaining, last November, a direct contract worth 5.4 billion for the delivery of 16 copies of the Poseidon P-8 – 14 planes and 2 options – to replace the planes of aging surveillance systems of the Royal Canadian Air Force. This issue had taken a political turn since Bombardier had, for months, deployed considerable efforts to call for a call for tenders and offer a militarized version of its Global 6500 private jet. Quebec and Ontario had publicly supported the Quebec manufacturer.

The American giant will, among other things, devote 110 million to finance a research and innovation center which will look at concepts such as “decarbonization”, “electrification” and aircraft autonomy, according to the head of Boeing Global.

Projects financed by Boeing:

• A research and innovation center (110 million)
• The Quebec growth of its subsidiary Wisk (95 million)
• The development of landing gear with Héroux-Devtek (35 million)

It is the Technoparc Montréal, in the borough of Saint-Laurent, which should host this center, indicated to The Press the President and CEO of Aéro Montréal, Mélanie Lussier, particularly because of its proximity to a Réseau express métropolitain station. It is hoped that the building will be able to welcome its first tenants in 2026.

“The model is that companies can rent spaces to work on collaborative projects and install their engineers there,” explains M.^me Lussier.

More questions

This project will be led by those responsible for the aerospace innovation zone. Boeing offers financing, but the multinational will not act as project manager for the site. It is difficult, at this stage, to have an idea of ​​the capacity of the complex as well as the companies that will set up there.

“We are not talking about a small building,” assures M^me Lussier.

This specifies that the location will house an indoor aviary to allow drones weighing less than 25 kg (55 lb) to carry out flight tests without being exposed to weather hazards.

The president of Aéro Montréal adds that the equipment from the Aerospace Research Center should be moved to the building to be built in the Techoparc Montréal.