Invest Vancouver / Key Industries / Aerospace

Aerospace

The Metro Vancouver region’s aerospace sector benefits from strong connections to the Asia-Pacific region and proximity to Boeing’s assembly lines located south of the border in Washington State. Supported by Canada’s extensive network of free trade agreements, over 80 per cent of BC’s aerospace revenues come from exports. This international reach, along with a skilled talent pool and a thriving local innovation ecosystem, has fostered a robust aerospace industry.

The Metro Vancouver region’s aerospace industry is a soaring economic force, with a thriving network of companies generating robust revenue and thousands of high-skilled jobs driving innovation and growth¹.

200+

companies in BC

$1.8

billion in annual revenue across the province

9,300

direct jobs in BC from the Aerospace industry

The region is Canada’s leader in maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO), serving commercial, military, and original equipment manufacturers. MROs in the region include:

Local MRO Firms	Multinational MRO Firms
Aeromni Aerospace Inc Airborne Engines Ltd. Emergco Aerospace Heliwelders Canada Ltd. Heli-One Canada	MTU Maintenance Canada Boeing Vancouver StandardAero Marshall Aerospace² CHC Helicopter

Home to leading industry associations

The region is home to leading industry associations

British Columbia Aviation Council (BCAC): The oldest and most active regional aviation and aerospace council in the country.
Aerospace Industries Association of Canada (AIAC) Pacific: Hosts Western Canada’s largest aerospace event, the Aerospace, Defense and Security Expo.
Canadian Advanced Air Mobility (CAAM): Unites government, academic, and industry partners to accelerate the adoption of advanced propulsion and new aircraft architecture in Canada.

Support programs and incentives

Firms can take advantage of a variety of federal and provincial government programs and tax incentives³.

Accelerated Investment Incentive: Allows investors to write-off a larger share of newly acquired capital assets’ costs.
MITACS: Offers cost-shared funding ($7,500 in direct funding) for graduate student internships designed to help businesses take on research challenges.
BC Employer Training Grant Program: Supports skills training with $10,000 per employee and up to $300,000 per employer annually.
Training Tax Credit for Apprentices: Provides refundable tax credits of up to $3,750 for apprentices enrolled in programs administered through the Industry Training Authority.
Scientific Research & Experimental Development (SR&ED): Offers 10 per cent tax credit for eligible expenses for Canadian Controlled Private Corporations; additional 15 per cent Federal SR&ED tax rebate to non-Canadian controlled companies.

Footnotes

1 Trade & Invest BC

2 Located in Abbotsford

3 Trade & InvestBC

Learn more

Aerospace industry overview

Ready to connect?

Contact Ryan Carpio, Business Development Analyst

Invest Vancouver acknowledges that the region’s residents live, work, and learn on the shared territories of many Indigenous Peoples, including 10 local First Nations: q̓ic̓əy̓(Katzie), q̓ʷɑ:n̓ƛ̓ən̓ (Kwantlen), kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), máthxwi (Matsqui), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), qiqéyt (Qayqayt), Semiahmoo, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), scəw̓aθən məsteyəxʷ (Tsawwassen) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh).

Invest Vancouver respects the diverse and distinct histories, languages, and cultures of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit, which collectively enrich our lives and the region.

View Metro Vancouver's translated territorial acknowledgment

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