You’ve come a long way from your beginnings in Europe. Looking back on your early years, where did your fascination for aeronautical engineering come from?
I am from an area in the northwest of France called Alsace, with a rich history of French and German influence. Growing up there, I formed a deep belief in European collaboration. My first emotional connection to aircraft was as a little boy; I spent hours and days watching our landlord build and test aircraft models and gliders. Later, I chose to study aeronautical engineering, which brought me closer to real aircraft.
Joining Airbus was a significant step. At the time, no single European country could meet the huge task of designing and producing an aircraft alone, but together, this vision was possible. Airbus was basically Europe. We tend to speak a lot about the aircraft itself, but it’s not just the product. It’s the idea that what we do at our core is connect people from point A to point B. This allowed me to integrate my love for aviation with the collaborative spirit of Europe, leading me to where I am today.
Airbus Canada is in an exciting growth period, aiming to increase its output to 14 aircraft a month in 2026. What has the economic impact of the A220 programme been like, not just in Quebec, but on a global level?
We've just celebrated the sixth anniversary of the A220 joining the Airbus family as well as 40 years of Airbus’ presence in Canada. Over these six years, including two years of COVID, we’ve made significant progress. The A220, originally the C Series of Bombardier, went from producing about three aircraft a month to more than double that output. As of the end of June 2024, we now have around 340 aircraft in service, and we aim to double the output again in 2026, with 10 aircraft per month from Mirabel and 4 from Mobile, Alabama. We have also more than doubled the number of A220 orders for the period. We now have the order book that supports our ambition of delivering 14 aircraft per month in 2026, which is also important to reach our financial target of breaking even by then.
We’ve worked a lot with our airline customers to help them fully understand the aircraft; it is a very good complement to the Airbus product range. When airlines order the A220, sometimes it is as a standalone, but often it is ordered with another Airbus aircraft type (e.g., the A320 family or the A350). This growth required strengthening our final assembly line both in Alabama and here in Canada as well as creating a pre-final assembly line to expedite production, recruiting over 1,600 people over the last two years for Airbus Canada. Our supply chain is extremely global, but those suppliers have their own suppliers too, so it goes very deep and poses challenges.
To accommodate these ambitious new targets, Airbus Canada must heavily invest in its workforce. Where do the most significant vacancies currently lie?
In Quebec, despite its deep aerospace pool, the workforce is more volatile compared to Europe. In Europe, the aeronautical industry consistently ranks as a top employer. In Canada and North America, people tend to move between industries more frequently. Besides engineers, we need to strengthen our workforce of blue-collar workers, technicians, and mechanics, especially post-COVID.
Immediately after the pandemic, we had workers on recall lists, which helped stabilize production, but we had to reconnect with the market as we grew since this revealed a need for more technicians and mechanics. We’ve since partnered with local schools and educational institutions like Polytechnique Montréal, McGill University and the University of Waterloo to expose them to the industry and anticipate future workforce needs.
As a fossil fuel-driven industry, aviation is coming under increased scrutiny. How does Airbus Canada plan to accelerate the pace of decarbonization?
Our primary goal remains to earn the right to continue connecting people and enabling them to travel from point A to point B; to achieve this, we must decarbonize aviation. This task is our fourth revolution, following the previous challenges of flying the first aircraft, achieving safety and enabling mass air travel.
By 2050, as an industry we aim to neutralize aviation emissions, which currently account for 2% to 3% of human-induced greenhouse gas emissions. Most emissions come from the aircraft themselves, so our focus is on newer generation aircraft, like the A220, saving 25% in fuel consumption, sustainable aviation fuels, and exploring hydrogen power as a viable option for short distances.
SAF is being touted as one of the key solutions to carbon emissions. How can Canada go one step further to leverage its position on the world stage?
While Canada has the industry, technologies, and natural resources like biomass and green hydrogen to produce SAF, it lacks a clear direction. Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is still underutilized, averaging less than 1% even though all Airbus aircraft are capable of flying with up to 50 % SAF. If Canada could produce SAF in larger quantities, we could significantly reduce emissions.
However, institutions and authorities are not yet clear on the most promising direction. As an industry, we must act as technical advisors to help shape technological choices and build the necessary ecosystem for sustainable aviation. Collaboration with airports and energy producers is crucial for creating an effective infrastructure for new fuels.
Airbus recently announced the launch of hydrogen feasibility studies at major Canadian airports. What do the results of these studies indicate insofar as the changes required for faster adoption?
This is the first time that a feasibility study of this magnitude has taken place in Canada to pioneer hydrogen for aviation. Yet, it's early days, and we must be humble. Rule makers like ICAO and airworthiness authorities play crucial roles in creating the framework for net zero by 2050. Coordination between industry, airports, rule makers, and energy producers has increased significantly over the past two years. While results are not yet off the shelf, the collaboration is promising.
This year marks 40 years of Airbus’ presence in Canada. When you contemplate the future of flight, what are your priorities for the next 2-5 years?
As Airbus globally, we are preparing for the future by working on the technological bricks for new generations of aircraft, boosting SAF usage, and exploring hydrogen-powered aircraft. In Canada, we focus on bringing our A220 programme to maturity. This involves a deep transformation, including updating processes, tools, and IT systems, and preparing our teams to support a growing fleet. Supporting a larger fleet requires changes in how we operate, ensuring we can meet the needs of our customers efficiently.
