PILOT EMILIE on her experience becoming a pilot and what she loves most about the career THE CANADIAN COUNCIL FOR SUSTAINABLE AVIATION FUELS on the future of sustainable aviation fuel in Canada
PILOT AHMED on his flight training experience and advice for aspiring pilots
The COVID-19 pandemic had a detrimental effect on aviation, mainly due to the prolonged border restrictions imposed by the Canadian government. This resulted in bare-minimum operations being in place for longer than in other markets, such as the U.S., Brazil, the Caribbean, and Mexico.
On a global scale, domestic travel is set to recover in 2023, with international traffic projected to regain pre-pandemic levels during 2024. Domestic passenger figures for Canada are still 10 per cent below pre-pandemic levels and well under 20 per cent for international travel. Last summer, the number of routes operated by airlines to, from, and within Canada was still close to 30 per cent below 2019, with the gap on the domestic network higher than on international routes. And while recovery remains the top priority, we cannot lose sight of sustainability.
During the pandemic, aviation demonstrated how it ensures vital transport links
— both for people and for goods. Even in Canada, with its road and rail infrastructure, the negative effects of lack of good air connectivity became obvious from coast to coast.
Advancements in sustainability
Nevertheless, as an industry we’re very conscious of the fact that we need to play our role in reducing our environmental impact. At the IATA AGM in 2021, the member airlines agreed to the ambitious goal of achieving net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050 and this was adopted as a Long-Term Aspirational Goal by the 41st International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Assembly held in Montreal in 2022. The biggest contribution to decarbonizing aviation will come through sustainable aviation fuels. We need governments to set the framework and the incentives for this energy transformation, in a similar way to what’s being done with electric vehicles. Moreover, other forms of alternative propulsion need to be considered, such as electric
aircraft, especially for short distances and hydrogen as a fuel source.
Aviation beyond the pandemic
We’re finally coming out of the COVID-19 crisis and we need collaboration across all stakeholders in the value chain to maintain the momentum. Prior to the pandemic, aviation contributed some $51.4 billion to Canada’s GDP and supported around 633,000 jobs. The spending by foreign tourists added a further $16.7 billion to the country’s GDP, bringing the entire sector’s contribution to 3.2 per cent of the GDP total. However, the major airports in Canada along with NAV CANADA are all raising their fees and charges to fill the financial holes left by COVID. Pushing up costs at a time when inflation is already eating away at disposable incomes won’t support the recovery efforts. We need to work jointly, and that includes the government, so we can unlock efficiencies and cost savings in order to provide air travel at reasonable market costs.
Sustainability, a highly skilled workforce, and innovation are top priorities in aviation — and Pratt & Whitney Canada is leading the way.
Canada’s aerospace and aviation industry is one of the largest in the world. Worldwide, the aviation industry employs over 11 million people, and in 2019, 4.5 billion passengers were carried by the world's airlines. Though the COVID-19 pandemic devastated airlines, the industry is seeing a massive upturn that boasts continual improvement and innovation, along with exciting career opportunities.
A Canadian success story
The aviation industry has been on the cutting edge for decades with improvements in efficiency and noise. Despite these ongoing advances, the challenge that climate change presents to the world is still an opportunity for the global aviation industry to improve its sustainability through new technologies.
Current trends in aviation include a push toward sustainability, enabling the industry to support social priorities, global security, and economic growth while making environmentally responsible choices. With the growing urgency to address climate change and the need to ensure sustainable growth in global air connectivity, companies like Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC), a global aerospace leader headquartered in Longueuil, Que., are showing exemplary commitment in helping the industry work toward net-zero emissions.
Other key trends in aviation include creating the workforce of the future — fostering interest in the aviation field to build a talent pipeline and preparing the workforce for Industry 4.0.
Smarter, cleaner, greener
The Canadian aerospace and aviation industry is focused on ensuring a responsible and sustainable future for our planet. Canadian companies are doing their part to transition to climate-conscious technologies to help Canada reach its goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.
“Canada is uniquely positioned as we’re among the few countries that have the industry ecosystem, training apparatus, and technologies to help aviation make the transition to smarter technology, cleaner fuel, and greener business,” says Maria Della Posta, President of P&WC.
Indeed, P&WC is leading the charge. Its strategy focuses on advancing smarter technologies, enabling aviation’s transition toward cleaner fuels, and protecting the environment through greener business and manufacturing practices.
“As a leading developer of aircraft propulsion systems with experience across civil, commercial, and military applications, we recognize that our products have a significant role in making the net-zero goal a reality,
both through our drive to continually explore innovative technologies to improve engine efficiency and through our work to enable the use of non-fossil-based alternative fuels, such as sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and hydrogen,” says Scott McElvaine, Vice President of Business Development at P&WC.
The future of aviation
P&WC is helping create a more sustainable future for aviation by making aircraft engines ready for the transition to SAFs, and its engineers are leading the way with next-generation propulsion technologies that’ll further reduce emissions, including ultra-high bypass ratio and thermally efficient engines, hybrid-electric engines, and hydrogen-powered engines.
In collaboration with Collins Aerospace and Raytheon Technologies, P&WC recently achieved a successful first engine run of a hybrid-electric flight demonstrator — a meaningful step toward improving fuel efficiency by 30 per cent. The company is also working on hydrogen propulsion. The Hydrogen Steam Injected, Inter-Cooled Turbine Engine, or HySIITE project, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy’s ARPA-E program, looks to develop propulsion technology that takes full advantage of the cryogenic properties of liquid hydrogen fuel. The latest generation of its products, such as the PW800 and the PW1500 on the Airbus A220, already deliver double-digit efficiency improvements and the recent engine launches, including last year’s PW127XT, deliver further improvements on already best-in-class performance.
The workforce of today and tomorrow
With all the innovations underway, the aviation industry is undoubtedly an exhilarating place to work. Careers in the industry promise exciting projects and challenges, abundant opportunities for professional development, and a sense of purpose. And the opportunities are plentiful — currently, the industry supplies over 207,000 Canadian jobs.
“Working in aviation means you have a chance to touch thousands of lives,” says Della Posta. “Every second, a P&WC-powered aircraft takes off or lands somewhere on the planet, whether they’re driving commerce, reuniting families, or powering humanitarian missions, emergency medical services, or search and rescue missions.”
This industry creates some of the world’s foremost ground-breaking technologies and solutions. As the industry evolves and grows, so do the associated career opportunities.
“Since P&WC’s inception close to 100 years ago, the way we work and the nature of roles in the industry have consistently evolved,” says Caroline Maso, Vice President of Human Resources at P&WC. “Over the past decade, there has been a steady rise of technology and digitalization.”
Since P&WC’s inception close to 100 years ago, the way we work and the nature of roles in the industry have consistently evolved.
As the aerospace industry moves toward Industry 4.0 with the advancement of automation and artificial intelligence within the manufacturing space, there’s a need for increased manufacturing and engineering talent, particularly in forward-looking fields such as data analytics, advanced manufacturing, and artificial intelligence. P&WC collaborates with universities and specialized schools in Canada to foster a talent pipeline.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion power innovation for the aerospace industry. “Our corporate culture fosters empowerment, growth, inclusion, and belonging,” says Maso. “We encourage our colleagues to bring their whole selves to work every day.”
Innovative Canadian companies like P&WC offer a variety of career opportunities across functions, including engineering, advanced manufacturing, digital technology, engine assembly, customer service, and program management. P&WC also offers several development opportunities, including internships, co-ops, college graduate programs, and leadership development programs, to name a few.
Celebrating one billion flying hours and 60 years of an iconic engine
Over the past 95 years, P&WC’s engines have reached one billion flying hours. “That’s a lot of time in the air, a lot of learnings, and a real competitive advantage, which benefits our customers and our operators, who can then succeed in achieving their valuable missions,” says Della Posta.
P&WC’s PT6 engine, which is responsible for more than half of those flying hours, has also reached its 60th anniversary. The PT6 engine, known for its reliability, boasts a big network and many passionate followers, and is the most prevalent and versatile engine in aviation, being used in helicopters as well as regional transports and general aviation aircraft. It powers a broad range of missions, including humanitarian aid missions, emergency medical services, and agriculture-related flights.
The PT6 engine has also brought breakthrough advancements in performance, control systems, and data intelligence. Building on its innovative spirit, in 2019 P&WC introduced the first dual channel integrated electronic propeller and engine control system in the general aviation space making an iconic engine, even better. The launch of the PT6 E-SeriesTM engine is an example of how the company is driving forward rapid, fundamental change and innovation in the industry.
“The PT6 engine is very much a product of the talented engineers, machinists, and mechanics that collaborated on creating several new gas turbine engines in the late 1950s and early 1960s,” says Della Posta. “Gas turbines had already revolutionized military aircraft and airliners, increasing speed and safety. The determined group of P&WC employees wanted to bring the performance, reliability, and durability of gas turbines to smaller airplanes and helicopters.” And that legacy of innovation hasn’t changed. The
company has grown from that first product line to over a dozen product families today. Since then, P&WC has only increased in its productiveness and success. “Aerospace has the power to change the world,” says Della Posta. “The aircraft we power are tools of productivity and commerce, opening new markets to the world and introducing the world to new communities and cultures. They’re also instruments of compassion, bringing food, medicine, and hope to people in remote, under-privileged areas. They enable social and familial bonds by powering the mobility of flight that unites families, strengthens relationships, and creates a sense of belonging. And lastly, they’re purveyors of the public good — saving lives, fighting fires, and protecting countries and communities.”
The aircrafts we power are tools of productivity and commerce, opening new markets to the world and introducing the world to new communities and cultures.
Canadians like to innovate — and that changed the world one invention at a time. When a teenaged Joseph-Armand Bombardier built his first “snow vehicle” in the 1920s, it was the start of a revolution in rural winter transport. The company he founded would go from snowmobiles, to Ski-Doo, on to reinventing mass transit in cities like Montreal and New York. In 1986, Bombardier took to the skies and today the company is known as a global leader in the design, service, and manufacture of the world’s most exceptional business jets.
Focusing on sustainable aviation
Headquartered in the greater Montreal area, Bombardier employs over 10,600 people in Quebec and Ontario, contributing $5.7-plus billion to Canada’s economy. But Bombardier has never been one for standing still. No matter what successes and laurels the company may have achieved, its gaze is always firmly set on the next innovation. And, right now, that means focusing on sustainable aviation.
“Bombardier is taking concrete actions to achieve the industry goal of net-zero carbon by 2050, notably by being the first business aviation manufacturer to cover all its operational flights with sustainable aviation fuel,” says Eve Laurier, Vice President of Communications, Marketing, and Public Affairs at Bombardier. “We’re also improving energy efficiency in our operations across our plants and service centres worldwide and securing new technology that will reduce carbon emissions on a longterm basis.”
Taking big swings for green aerospace
The commitment to sustainability is particularly evident in two ambitious landmark projects: the new 750,000-square-foot Bombardier global manufacturing centre at Pearson International Airport in Mississauga and its revolutionary blended-wing EcoJet research project.
“The EcoJet research project presents a combination of aerodynamic enhancements that will transform the aviation industry
and its impact on the environment,” says Laurier. “The EcoJet is in a research phase and is paving the way to create technology that can be integrated into existing aircraft programs. The blended-wing-body design is central to the project and will contribute to reducing CO2 emissions through significant aerodynamic efficiencies. It’s adaptable to our needs for business jets and is key for a greener future.”
Moving forward with fresh innovations Projects like the EcoJet are the future of aviation, and the pursuit of that future drives Bombardier’s expansion with the construction of its new facility at Pearson, the most advanced aircraft manufacturing site in the world built with sustainability in mind. This centre will provide a high-tech working environment for the 2,000 Toronto-based employees as they shape tomorrow’s sustainable aviation, while continuing to work on the class-defining Global aircraft family.
“The market conditions are certainly favourable for innovation and a solution-ori-
ented shift in the industry to fight climate change,” says Laurier. “The demand for business jets is strong, especially for large-cabin, long-range aircraft, and we’re producing the perfect answer to this demand right here in Canada.”
Canada will keep moving forward in the aerospace sector, and Bombardier will continue fostering Canadian innovation to transform the industry.
The aviation and aerospace industries are embarking on an incredible new era of technical and process innovation, and the Montreal-based
For over a century now, aircraft designers and operators have harnessed innovation and a bold spirit of adventure to make possible what was once impossible; to connect what was disconnected; and to turn the challenge and adversity of vast geographic distances into a wealth of opportunity and prosperity.
This long history of bold and cutting-edge advancements has led us to the point where modern aircraft and airports are no longer mere enablers of our air travel and trade, but also beacons of our collective technological, economic, and geopolitical achievements.
It’s no wonder then that the world expects a lot from the air transport and aerospace sectors, or that it looks to them to evolve and adapt both faster and better than other industries. The excitement and imagination at the heart of everything we do place a distinct onus on aviation sector leaders to continuously innovate.
A revolution in aviation innovation
This explains in part why in the world of aircraft design and manufacture, nothing
is transforming itself to support and accelerate the global adoption of latest advances.
short of a revolution is now occurring. We’re witnessing the emergence of entirely new aircraft types, designed for completely new types of operations, and with every new innovation that emerges, so too does an astounding new range of possibilities for companies and communities.
The electrification of smaller aircraft and fleets is already underway, including among the pioneers at Harbour Air here in Canada, and recent R&D advances have been highly promising in terms of making electric or hydrogen propulsion options a nearer-term reality for larger passenger jets as well.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) advises, guides, and facilitates the work of world governments as they collaborate at the multilateral level to agree on and attain these targets. We also develop the global strategies and capacity-building programs to help ensure that new aviation performance capabilities can be implemented safely, securely, and sustainably.
In the world of aircraft design and manufacture, nothing short of a revolution is now occurring.
Modern commercial aircraft are already 80 per cent more fuel-efficient than the first jets to enter service, but with these latest energy and propulsion and many other innovations coming to the fore, I have every confidence that nation states and industry operators will fully achieve their ambitious targets for carbon neutral or net zero international civilian flight by 2050.
What is AAM?
Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) is the evolution of air transportation enabled by an ecosystem of new technologies allowing people, goods, and services to move within urban and regional areas safely, according to the Canadian Drone Advisory Committee (CanaDAC).
Why is sustainability so important in the AAM industry?
Aside from helping to reach the net-zero emissions goal by 2050, AAM technologies and innovations provide opportunities to reduce the dependency on finite resources such as fuel and rare minerals used in traditional aviation, by utilizing alternative and renewable sources of energy.
What strides is the industry making in terms of DEI?
Aviation is a predominantly white, male-dominated industry, but several organizations and institutions are looking to increase diversity by bringing different
We’re working and transforming at every level in our specialized UN agency today to assure that countries, and the expert groups we organize for them, can more quickly and diligently standardize cutting-edge advances for aligned global deployment.
Canada’s aerospace sector has consistently ranked among the top five in the world, and it has been recognized since the dawn of international civilian flight as an
important aviation leader in aircraft design and manufacture.
More recently, we’ve seen its leadership exemplified through the important Safer Skies Initiative, which is working to help improve the international collaboration and risk management approaches governing airspace in conflict zones.
ICAO looks forward to working closely with Canada and other countries to help accelerate the pace of innovation in our sector, and to providing them with the multilateral support and mechanisms they need to connect our world more sustainably and efficiently, to the benefit of all people.
voices and perspectives to the table:
First Nations Technical Institute offers the only post-secondary Indigenous aviation program of its kind in Canada, training Indigenous youth to become qualified, professional pilots in a unique learning environment.
Matthew Land of EVE Air Mobility alongside Matt Broffman of Lilium and Gareth Lewis of WestJet joined our LGBTQ2S+ Uplift event last September to share their experiences in their organizations and brought forward why DEI is important for the future of aviation.
Teara Fraser, CAAM co-founding member, started Iskwew Air — the first Indigenous-woman-owned airline in Canada — to build bridges between traditional air service and the sustainable technology of the future.
How is CAAM supporting Canada in achieving net-zero emissions by 2050? CAAM is a socially responsible, federal not-
for-profit consortium that acts as the national catalyst for the AAM industry in Canada, with over 70 members spanning industry, government, and academia.
While we don’t develop and build these new aircraft ourselves, we are the catalyst for the zero-emission aviation ecosystem alongside our aircraft partners. CAAM drives the conversation nationally through our AAM whitepapers of multiple Canadian cities (Vancouver and Toronto) and through our economic, environmental, and social feasibility studies.
What AAM innovations are you most excited about?
Personally, I am most excited about electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOLs) emergency first responder services. In Atlantic Canada, where I currently reside, there is a great need for quick access to ambulances, and I believe AAM innovations could help alleviate some of the stress placed on the ground crew.
Advanced Air Mobility is the evolution of air transportation enabled by an ecosystem of new technologies allowing people, goods, and services to move within urban and regional areas safely.
