De Havilland Initiates Preparations for Aerospace Campus in Alberta

De Havilland of Canada is poised to commence the first phase of construction for its new aerospace campus in Wheatland County. The company has begun moving equipment into place as preparations align with the upcoming end of the harvest season. According to Neil Sweeney, Vice President of Corporate Affairs, significant machinery is being assembled to facilitate the earth-moving process once the canola harvest concludes this fall.

Construction is expected to officially commence in spring of 2026, with the initial buildings slated to open in spring 2028. The announcement regarding the aerospace campus was made in Calgary in September 2022, where De Havilland first revealed its plans to the public. Since that time, the company has engaged in several public information sessions and collaborated with both provincial and county authorities to secure necessary permits and modify legal land use.

Sweeney expressed a vision for the campus, stating, “We really are looking at De Havilland Field being our home for the next hundred years and we are being deliberate in how we future-proof the campus for the growth that we expect in the next number of years.” He emphasized that the project aims to catalyze new aerospace opportunities in western Canada. The company’s supply chain extends across the country, with partnerships reaching locations as distant as Newfoundland, alongside parts manufacturing in provinces including British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario.

As the campus gears up for operations, De Havilland plans to recruit recent graduates from post-secondary programs, including those from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT). Recruitment for construction positions has not yet begun, but Sweeney anticipates that the majority of these jobs will be filled by residents from Wheatland County, Strathmore, and the Calgary area.

The initial phase of the project will encompass a range of facilities including a runway, distribution and logistics areas, parts manufacturing, aero structures manufacturing, and aircraft assembly buildings. De Havilland estimates that the construction of the campus will generate between 500 and 750 jobs annually.

“Our manufacturing footprint is quite solid now; this is really about replacing and enhancing our ability to produce not only parts of aircraft,” Sweeney stated. “It will really just enable us to ramp up production even quicker.” As the aerospace industry in Canada continues to evolve, De Havilland’s new campus is set to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of aerospace manufacturing in the region.