B . C . A I R P O R T S
S P E C I A L F E A T U R E
Flying High
With an increasing number of passengers, new routes and a
healthy aerospace sector, B.C.'s aviation industry is really taking off
T
he aerospace industry is one of
the fastest growing high-tech
sectors in Canada, one in which
B.C. is playing an increasingly
important role. With innovative
services and strategic plans,
local airports are helping lift the
aviation eld to new heights.
With the third-largest aerospace sector
in the country, following Quebec and
Ontario, B.C. is home to more than 160
related rms that employ over 8,000
people. The industry directly generates
annual revenues of approximately $2.4
billion and value-added output (
GDP) of
$1.3 billion, according to the August 2015
Economic Impact Analysis and Capabilities
Study of the BC Aerospace Industry,
prepared for Aerospace Industries
Association of Canada Pacic by
KPMG.
The province also has one of the
largest "MRO–ISS"
sectors nationwide: the
Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO)
sector along with the rapidly evolving In-
Service Support (ISS)
sector—an evolution
of
MRO that encompasses traditional
services with high-value activities such as
engineering, integrated logistics support
and major systems upgrades—generate
$768 million in
GDP annually.
Growth in the aerospace industry can
signicantly benet the B.C. economy.
Growing the industry by just $100 million in
annual revenue will result in approximately
$114 million to $138 million contributed
to provincial
GDP, approximately 330
additional jobs within the aerospace
industry and 240 to 450 jobs supported
in the economy via indirect and induced
impacts,
KPMG estimates.
The demand for services is tremendous.
The Vancouver International Airport (YVR)
