De Havilland Aircraft is planning to open a manufacturing facility and airfield in Wheatland County, Alberta, approximately 30 minutes to the east of Calgary. The facility will be called De Havilland Field and will employ about 1500 people. It will be built on 600 hectares of land and will include a runway, parts manufacturing, distribution centers, and repair operations, in addition to training space, office buildings, and an aircraft museum. The construction work will start in 2023 and will be the final assembly line for the DHC-515 firefighter, a new aircraft launched earlier this year, DHC-6 Twin Otter, and the Dash 8-400, according to the statement released by the company.
“We are currently working towards bringing the DHC-6 Twin Otter and Dash 8-400 aircraft back into production,” the company said.
Brian Chafe, CEO of De Havilland Aircraft of Canada said: “De Havilland Field will be the home of assembly and production of reliable and rugged Canadian aircraft that serve missions around the world. This is the start of a new chapter for both De Havilland Canada and Canadian aerospace and we are excited about beginning the process with Wheatland County to provide new aviation opportunities for Canada and Alberta.”
At present, the development of the site is subject to a re-zoning by the county, as well as an amendment to the Wheatland County Area Structure Plan.