Africa ( commonwealth union ) _ As part of its CAD9.6 million (USD7 million) investment in the aviation sector, the Alberta government will support WestJet (WS, Calgary) to the tune of CAD3 million Canadian dollars (USD2.2 million).
A Strategic Transportation Infrastructure Programme in Alberta will invest CAD4.6 million (USD3.3 million) to support community airports and CAD5 million (USD3.6 million) in an Aviation Skills Grant programme in 2024–2025 for the province’s expanding aviation industry. 14 aviation firms will get up to CAD30,000 (USD22,000) under the skills development scheme, which will help cover the costs of training new or open positions.
The skills project aims to enhance the province’s aerospace sector, where pilots and aircraft maintenance engineers—two of the most in-demand professions in Alberta’s aviation industry—receive more than half of the essential training. The funding is a component of “Alberta at Work,” a multi-year, over CAD700 million (USD515 million) provincial initiative in skills development.
The largest beneficiary, WestJet, will utilise its part of CAD3 million to train around 1,151 new personnel to fill roles for pilots, technicians, inspectors, pursers and flight attendants, as well as ticket and service agents for airlines.
Lynx Air (Y9, Calgary) and Flair Airlines (F8, Kelowna), two low-cost airlines, will each earn CAD300,000 (about USD220,000) and CAD297,489 (around USD219,000). The money will be used by Lynx Air to teach 310 new and current personnel, including duty managers for operations, flight crew, and cabin crew (ground school). 100 workers of Flair Airlines will receive training in aviation safety audits, investigation, flight attendant duties, flight operations, maintenance, and aircraft type. The money will be used to fill openings for engineering regulatory offices, mechanical engineers, schedulers of transportation routes and crews, air traffic controllers (and related jobs), mechanics and inspectors of aircraft, pursers and flight attendants, and mechanics, technicians, and inspectors of aircraft instrument, electrical, and avionics.
Alberta is well on its way to become the country’s next aviation hub as its aviation industry soars to new heights. According to a statement from Alberta’s Minister of Jobs, Economy and Trade, Matt Jones, funding provided through the Aviation Skills Grant will assist Alberta’s aviation employers in accessing the skills and expertise they need to expand their businesses and sustain the sector’s vibrancy.
As a landlocked province, investing in the aerospace sector is essential for establishing economic arteries, enhancing market accessibility, and promoting local job growth. The Aviation Skills Grant and these investments show how committed our government is to expanding Alberta’s aviation industry, according to Devin Dreeshen, Alberta’s minister of transportation and economic corridors. In Alberta, there were 272 companies involved in the air transportation industry in 2022, and there were 25,000 people working there.
