Making Light Work on Conversions

November/December 2020 Inflight edition.

Originally embraced as a solution to a perceived short-term crisis, Avianor’s rapid cargo conversion solution is proving a winner for its customers. Alexander Preston hears how the Canadian company has adapted to ‘the new normal’.

Over the past quarter of a century, Canada’s Avianor has grown to become a specialist in aircraft cabin integration, spare parts supply and aircraft MRO. From its base at Montreal-Mirabel International Airport in Quebec, President and COO Matthieu Duhaime oversees a 350-strong workforce. Leaving Bombardier after a 16-year stint, Duhaime joined Avianor in January this year, not long before Air Canada awarded the company with an Airframe Maintenance Centre of Excellence for its new Airbus A220 fleet. The 10-year agreement will see Air Canada’s 45 A220s on firm order, and 30 optioned aircraft, undergo airframe maintenance in a new hangar. Duhaime reflects: “We were all excited to have signed a letter of intent with Air Canada, to get a Centre of Excellence here. We were ramping up our maintenance operation, recruiting personnel based on our current business, which is a mix of commercial and military aircraft (heavy maintenance), and cabin integration and cabin material (commercial aircraft).”