Airbus open to a fighter plane assembly plant in Quebec ahead of federal bids

MIRABEL, Que. - Airbus is not ruling out the possibility that Quebec will host a fighter plane assembly line and satellite construction plant if the European giant manages to win new contracts in Canada.

Simon Jacques, head of Canadian operations for the multinational, mentioned the possibility Monday at a company event in Mirabel, an off-island Montreal suburb, where it manufactures A220 jetliners, previously known as the Bombardier C Series.

Airbus is on the lookout for Ottawa's call for tenders -- expected before the start of the 2019 election campaign -- for 88 fighter planes to replace the government's aging CF-18s. Airbus makes the Eurofighter Typhoon.

Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Saab are all in the running alongside Airbus for the federal contract.

Jacques says the construction of a new assembly line, which would create numerous jobs, would not be a logistical challenge given there is space available in Mirabel.

Since the call for tenders would impose local content requirements, he says he wants to propose a "Canadian solution."

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