The Canadian government has announced that it will invest CAD350 million ($264.8 million) in a national sustainable aviation innovation network.
With the goal of accelerating the aviation industry’s transition to become more environmentally friendly, the funds will support Canada’s Initiative for Sustainable Aviation Technology (INSAT). The investment will build a pan-Canadian and aviation industry-led network that will focus on collaborative research and development efforts of different sizes across the supply chain within the country, focusing on:
- Hybrid and alternative propulsion
- Aircraft architecture and systems integration
- Transition to alternative fuels
- Aircraft support infrastructure and operation of said infrastructure
“Our government is committed to making Canada a leader and a strategic partner of choice when it comes to sustainable aviation. Today’s $350 million investment to support the Initiative for Sustainable Aviation Technology will help drive and accelerate the green industrial transformation of Canada’s aerospace industry, generating high-value jobs while strengthening supply chains and supporting the transition to a net-zero economy,” said François-Philippe Champagne, the Minister of Innovation, Science, and Industry of Canada.
Meanwhile, Mike Mueller, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada, is pleased to see industry and lawmakers coming together to strengthen Canada’s position as “the global leader in aerospace innovation”.
He said: “This new ecosystem will be the catalyst for critical aerospace innovation, propelling the industry forward toward sustainable aviation and ensuring a global leadership position for Canada.”
According to a fact sheet published by the Canadian government, the aerospace industry provided more than 210,000 jobs in the country and exported close to CAD18.7 billion ($14.1 billion) in products in 2022.
Two commercial aircraft manufacturers are based in Canada Airbus, which builds the A220 at the Final Assembly Line (FAL) in Mirabel, Quebec, near Montreal, and De Havilland Canada. The country is also home to Bombardier, which recently moved its focus to private jets.
The latest government investment was done via the Strategic Innovation Fund, which “supports large-scale, transformative and collaborative projects that help position Canada to prosper in the global knowledge-based economy”.