Farnborough, July 17, 2014 – At the conclusion of the economic mission that he headed from July 13 to 17 in the United Kingdom, Québec Minister of the Economy, Innovation and Exports Jacques Daoust presented a positive assessment of Québec’s presence at the 49th Farnborough International Airshow, which ends on Sunday.
“It is with considerable pride that we have reaffirmed during this important airshow our strength as one of the world’s major aerospace centres. The expertise, determination and ability to innovate of over 200 firms are today setting Québec apart at the international level in this thriving industry,” Minister Daoust noted.
During the mission, Minister Daoust was accompanied by a Québec delegation comprising 20 aerospace industry companies and organizations and representatives of partners such as Aéro Montréal and Montréal International.
The Farnborough International Airshow assembled over 1 500 exhibitors and welcomed some 230 000 visitors, including 110 000 professionals. Moreover, Minister Daoust took advantage of the presence of key international stakeholders in the civil, military and business aviation sectors to participate in numerous strategic meetings with 40-odd businesses and potential investors in the industry.
In addition to promoting Québec’s advantages, the airshow highlighted Québec’s advantageous business environment among key players in the sector. Minister Daoust also confirmed the government’s support for important projects, in particular those of RTI Claro and Sinters America, which will generate total investments of over $10 million.
The mission also included a commercial component. Over 150 meetings were organized between Québec firms and nearly 200 prime contractors and potential international partners, nearly twice as many as last year, through the collaboration of Investissement Québec, the network of Québec government offices abroad, and the federal government. Québec firms in the aerospace sector were thus able to take advantage, in particular, of linkage activities with prime contractors in the industry to discuss possible partnerships.
Lastly, the Minister took advantage of his visit to the UK to promote investment in Québec among businesses present in London in sectors as varied as the information technologies, energy and electric vehicles.
