You may notice some larger than usual planes flying in and out of Jack Garland Airport over the next couple of weeks.
Airbus arrived from France on Tuesday with their A350-900 Flightlab aircraft and are conducting systems tests at the airport and the surrounding airspace.
Bryan Avery, Airport Manager, says they’ve hosted test programs before, but this one is unique in its size and scope.
“The Airbus A350-900 is the second largest production aircraft of Airbus at 350-440 seats on the aircraft,” he says. “It’s a very large aircraft. In fact, it’s the second largest that the North Bay Airport has seen in its history.”
While specifics of the systems and component testing are confidential, Avery says it’s for future airline use.
“The work that we see them doing here will be on the airlines that we fly in the future,” he says, adding several factors drew Airbus to North Bay.
“The airport infrastructure, the capacity of the airport and the businesses here at the airport. Whether that’s Voyageur and World Fuels or Canada Border Services Agency and customs clearance here on site,” Avery says. “We have the infrastructure, capabilities and, fortunately, the airspace around North Bay and through Northern Ontario allows them to do test programs that they can’t do at other sites because of congestion either at the airport or in the airspace.”
He says this opportunity demonstrates the airport’s capability for large aircraft operations, including those for commercial and military use.
The Canadian Armed Forces Emergency Response Exercise earlier this month and the use of the airport for C130 Hercules and Chinook helicopter operations is an example Avery points to.
