No. A014/06
For release November 30, 2006

CANADA’S NEW GOVERNMENT OPENS THE
NEW HANGAR AT THE GREATER MONCTON
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

MONCTON, NB – The Transport Canada Hangar at the Greater Moncton International Airport was officially opened today by the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities.

"This new hangar will help the Government of Canada provide essential operational and maintenance support for its fleet of aircraft, which delivers vital safety oversight, policing and aerial surveillance programs", said Mr. Cannon.

The new hangar houses Transport Canada and Royal Canadian Mounted Police aircraft and serves as an operations and maintenance facility for these aircraft. Transport Canada will continue to house its existing complement of aircraft in the new hangar facility, including a Citation C550, a King Air Beech C90A, a Bell 206B helicopter and a deHavilland DHC Dash 8. The hangar has also been designed to accommodate a helicopter, a fixed wing aircraft, and nine staff of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). It currently provides office and working space for 17 Transport Canada employees.

Transport Canada aircraft are used by Civil Aviation Safety Inspectors as part of their duties of conducting safety oversight activities for the civil aviation system. The deHavilland DHC Dash 8 is used by Transport Canada to conduct marine pollution aerial surveillance in Eastern Canada, including over the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River.

"This new facility provides the Greater Moncton International Airport and the surrounding community with additional infrastructure in support of the development of an aerospace industry in this region," added Mr. Cannon. "It will certainly serve to promote important business activity in southeastern New Brunswick and help retain a highly skilled workforce."

After conducting an investment analysis, it was determined that building a new hangar would be more cost-effective than renovating the old facility to meet the most recent building code, introduced by the National Research Council in 1995. The new hangar will provide a safer and more secure work environment. The total cost of the project is about $8.5 million and includes all construction, design and project management costs for the new hangar as well as the demolition of the old hangar.

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