Longview Aviation Capital Corp. Announces Temporary Suspension of Production of Dash 8-400 and Series 400 Twin Otter Aircraft

TORONTO, CALGARY and VICTORIA, March 20, 2020 /CNW/ - Longview Aviation Capital Corp., parent company of De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited and Viking Air Limited, today announced the immediate suspension of manufacturing operations for new production Dash 8-400 aircraft at De Havilland's Downsview facility in Toronto, and new production Series 400 Twin Otter aircraft at Viking's facilities in Victoria, BC and Calgary, Alberta.

Production on these aircraft will be paused until further notice. Approximately 800 employees or 65% of De Havilland's current workforce, and 180 employees or 40% of Viking current workforce will be affected.

The global aviation industry is facing unprecedented uncertainty as a result of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Longview and its subsidiaries have been in close communication with customers and suppliers over the last several weeks. On the basis of these discussions, and against the backdrop of significantly reduced airline activity, Longview determined that it is necessary to pause all new aircraft production activity at this time.

The suspension applies only to new aircraft production. Both De Havilland and Viking will continue to provide full product support and technical services to all in-service De Havilland and Viking aircraft. All other Longview business activities will continue as usual, including:

• Customer support operations, including parts, and in-service aircraft support
• CL-415EAF "Enhanced Aerial Firefighter" conversions through Longview Aviation Services
• Aircraft leasing activity through Longview Aviation Asset Management

"This is a period of considerable challenge for our industry and for our customers, and we must adapt to this new – hopefully temporary – reality," said David Curtis, Executive Chairman, Longview Aviation Capital Corp. "In this context, we will focus our efforts on supporting our customers' existing in-service fleets and delivering the other services our companies provide to the global aviation industry. We will remain in close contact with our customers and continue to monitor the evolving situation. We will make further adjustments to our operations as required."

Longview hopes to restart aircraft manufacturing operations as conditions improve – based upon ongoing local, national and international events and developments.

In the meantime, the company will remain in frequent contact with customers – and will closely monitor and assess market conditions.

Both De Havilland and Viking have established business continuity plans to ensure the companies are set up to serve customers, and have reorganized working arrangements to prevent the spread of any illness while still allowing vital customer service and product support work to continue.

De Havilland's Dash 8 24/7 Customer Response Centre is operating at full capacity:

North America (toll free) + 1-844-272-2720

Local +1-416-375-4080

Europe +44 (0)28 9046 8899

Technical Help Desk: thd@dehavilland.com

Service Solutions and Sales: parts.sales@dehavilland.com

Material Services: parts@dehavilland.com / emear.parts@dehavilland.com

Mobile Repair Team: mrt@dehavilland.com

Operators of the Series 400 Twin Otter and all other Viking aircraft, can receive support from the Viking's Technical Support Team:

North America (Toll Free): 1-800-663-8444

International: +1-587-430-0572

Technical Help Desk:

technical.support@vikingair.com (for DHC1-7)

acs-technical.support@vikingair.com (for CL-215, CL-215T and CL-415)

Spares Sales: 

sales@vikingair.com (for DHC1-7)

acs@vikingair.com (for CL-215, CL-215T and CL-415)

Training: trainingdhc6@vikingair.com

Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul: MRO@vikingair.com

Operations at other Longview companies are continuing under enhanced health and safety protocols.

"The health and safety of our employees and our community is our highest priority," said Mr. Curtis. "We will continue to carefully follow the directives from public health authorities and take the steps we can to support the overall objective of preventing the spread of the virus."

Longview Aviation Capital Corp. (LAC) was established in 2016 to manage a portfolio of long-term investments in the Canadian aerospace industry. At present, LAC includes and/or is associated with the assets of De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Ltd., Viking Air Ltd., Pacific Sky Aviation Ltd, Longview Aviation Asset Management Inc. and Longview Aviation Services. Longview holds the Type Certificates and entire product line of the original deHavilland aircraft company including the Twin Otter program and the DHC-1 through DHC-8 series, as well as the former Canadair CL-215, CL-215T, and CL-415 waterbomber aircraft. Through Pacific Sky, Longview also operates the world's only certified Category "D" Full-Flight Simulator for the Series 400 Twin Otter, complete with seaplane simulation capabilities. Longview operates manufacturing and service support in locations across Canada including Victoria, Calgary and Toronto. 

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SOURCE Longview Aviation Capital Corp.