Cites Strong Local Support, Proximity To Lake Champlain Among
Deciding Factors
The Dornier Seaplane Company said Monday it has selected
Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, a southern suburb of Montreal, as the
final assembly site for the Sea Star amphibious twin currently in
development. The decision was based on many factors including
strong federal, provincial and local government support for
aerospace; a skilled aerospace labor pool in the Montreal area; the
large local aviation supply chain (including Pratt & Whitney
Canada which produces the Seastar engines); a financial community
that understands the aerospace industry; the importance of Montreal
as a transportation hub; the quality of its educational
institutions; and its proximity to Lake Champlain with its
uncongested airspace for demonstration and production flight test
activities.
Sea Star At Oshkosh 2009
Conrado Dornier, Chairman of The Dornier Seaplane Company, said
“I am delighted that Quebec will be the new home to continue
the 100 year aviation legacy of Dornier. I want to personally thank
the governments of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, and Canada for
their trust and strong support. We plan to be in Canada a long time
as responsible citizens and this site is a natural fit for building
the most advanced amphibious seaplane.”
Conrado Dornier
“The arrival of Dornier Seaplane(in Québec) brings
with it exciting industrial opportunities and the creation of a
large number of specialized jobs. This is another example of the
Government of Québec pursuing its contribution to the
expansion of one of the most innovative and prosperous industrial
sectors,” said Minister Clément Gignac.
Mr. Gilles Dolbec, Mayor of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, added
“This manufacturing facility will create hundreds of high
tech jobs and we look forward to being associated with this
worldwide recognized brand.”
Dornier Seaplane Company CEO Joe Walker addressed the company's
short-term plans. “Now that we have achieved this milestone,
we are anxious to get started as our customers are excited about
taking delivery of their new Seastars," he said. "Even in these
challenging economic times, we have received more than 25 Letters
of Intent which are being matured into firm contracts. This
reinforces the pent-up demand for our innovative
product.”
“Our next order of business is to begin recruiting
immediately for senior production management positions with the
intention of eventually hiring a total of 250 final assembly jobs
over the next 5 years," he continued. "In addition, we expect there
to be 200 fabrication jobs to support the final assembly plant and
75 jobs at Pratt & Whitney Canada will also be created over the
next five years. The total will add up to more than 500 jobs over a
5 year period in Quebec. We also plan to accelerate detailed
discussions with our major suppliers. The supplier selection
process will be completed over the next 12 months and deliveries
will start in 2012.”
Sea Star At NBAA 2009
The Seastar is the first new purpose-designed amphibious
aircraft developed in the last fifty years. It is an FAA and EASA
certified all-composite seaplane powered by two Pratt & Whitney
Canada PT6A-135A turboprop engines. Dornier claims there is a
strong market demand with no direct product competition for the
Seastar.