De Havilland Canada and Avincis have signed an agreement to enhance maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) support for CL-215, CL-215T, CL-415, and De Havilland Canadair 515 (DHC-515) waterbombers in Europe and Morocco. Avincis will serve as a key regional supplier and partner for these MRO services.
The partnership leverages Avincis’ engineering and certification expertise to develop supplemental type certificates (STCs), design work, and obsolescence modifications for the CL aircraft family. Avincis-led modifications for waterbomber customers will be developed jointly and incorporated into De Havilland Canada’s aftermarket parts catalogue.
Avincis operates and maintains the world’s largest fleet of 23 Canadair waterbombers, with over 20 years of experience, and holds the largest MRO network for emergency aerial services in Europe. To accommodate increased activity, Avincis is designing a dedicated hangar precinct at Albacete Airport in Spain for additional maintenance and modification capacity.
John Boag, Avincis Group chief executive, stated: “We are proud that De Havilland has chosen us as a partner for MRO and modifications in Europe and Morocco. This is a testament to our robust MRO network and capability in Europe where we are the largest provider of emergency aerial services. It also reflects the experience we have built up over 20 years of operating and maintaining the world’s largest fleet of 23 Canadairs.”
Brian Chafe, De Havilland Canada chief executive, said: “We are very pleased to be working more closely with Avincis. They bring deep experience with the CL aircraft and have a strong presence in Europe, making them an excellent fit for us. This partnership strengthens our global network while helping us better support operators, advance our waterbomber fleet, and accelerate the introduction of select DHC-515 solutions to our CL-415 operators through this STC process.”