"It's a made-in-Canada solution for WestJet. It adds more diversity to our Winnipeg site. In a downturn, the more diversity we have, the better positioned we are to manage our way through it," said Ian Smart, Standard Aero's senior vice-president of airlines and fleets.
He said the deal is one of the biggest it has ever consummated and opens the door for it to target the likes of Southwest Airlines, Continental Airlines and AirTran Airways as potential customers, he said.
The 15-year agreement will see Standard Aero build a new $13 million facility at its complex near the Richardson International Airport. It will house 60 employees initially and 250 by the time it's fully up and running in 2012, boosting its local workforce to about 1,500.
From the Western Investor, August 2009
