- As we reported two weeks ago, the RCAF has retired its fleet of CT-155 Hawk training jets. Several of the aircraft were recently spotted at the Collingwood Regional Airport (CNY3) in Ontario and will reportedly be transported overland to CFB Borden, a distance of about 43 km, where they will serve for training maintenance technicians and mechanics at the Canadian Forces School of Aerospace Technology and Engineering.
- According to a press release issued Friday (March 29) by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), “…almost 500 Air Canada pilots are working with U.S. immigration firms in search of a contract that better reflects the value their professional skills bring to the airline.” The statement was made in response to Air Canada’s financial success in 2023 but that the airline “… failed to acknowledge the contributions made by their employees, specifically the pilots, who played a significant role in helping them achieve these impressive accomplishments.” Negotiations between ALPA and Air Canada are ongoing.
- In what is being noted as a first for a Transport Canada-operated airport, Sandspit Airport on British Columbia’s Haida Gwaii archipelago has been given an Indigenous name. The new name is “K’il Kun Xidgwangs Daanaay Airport”, which translates to “Sandspit flying place.” Prior to 2010, Haida Gwaii was known as the Queen Charlotte Islands.
- The Department of National Defence has announced that it expects to have in place before the end of this year a contract to build a drone base for the three General Atomics MQ-9B drones that will be located at CFB Comox on Vancouver Island. Included in the contract scope is a 5,700 m2 (61,355 ft2) drone facility and an 11,000 m2 (2.7 acre) apron. The DND expects to have the construction project completed by 2030.