Ukrainian aircraft to be assembled in Canada
Ukrainian industrial giant Antonov is not only targeting final assembly, but also sales of its airliners in North America.
According to Ukroboronprom's press service, the company was previously prevented from doing so by its dependence on outdated Russian parts. The same reason prevented Ukrainian aircraft from obtaining international certification and competing with European and American counterparts.
However, Antonov is now serious about securing support from Quebec's Transformative Investment Projects (SPRINT) programme. While the An-74s are still being assembled at the Kharkiv Aircraft Factory, it was previously reported that Canadian companies plan to invest about USD 250mn in the modernisation and certification of the Kharkiv aircraft.
Antonov, the SOE, established a Canadian subsidiary, Antonov Aircraft Canada, headquartered in downtown Montreal in March this year. Antonov needs strong financial and political support from the provincial government to begin to roll out business in Quebec. It is reported that official cooperation between the Ukrainian government and the Ministry of Economy and Innovation of Quebec has already been initiated.
The Ukrainians believe the Canadian market will be very promising for the AN-74. As Desmond Burke Devoir, director of Gold Leaf Aviation (a company representing ANTONOV's interests from Ontario), says: "Let's take province of Quebec, for example. It's huge. And the only way to get to certain regions is by plane."
According to Suzanne M. Benoit, president of Aéro Montréal, Quebec's aerospace industry cluster, aircraft certification with Transport Canada is not an easy exercise: "It is a very costly process, but we need specialists in the field. Despite the fact that Antonov does not have Airbus status, they already have a lot of experience in aircraft construction in Ukraine.
The Russian, Kazakh, Iranian and Egyptian air forces are equipped with An-74 aircraft. In January, the Ukrainian government officially announced that it was starting to produce An-74s to replenish its air fleet with them.
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