Airbus has established a tech centre in Mirabel, Canada, where teams will work with each other and local experts to research and create new technologies that can enhance the A220 and future generations of Airbus aircraft. Useful local academic resources include McGill University in Montreal and the University of Waterloo in Ontario.
The Canada hub, complete with prototyping facility, will complement Airbus’s wider network of Tech Hub facilities in South Korea, Japan, Singapore and the Netherlands. Each hub in the global network aims to foster collaboration with industry leaders, academia and knowledge institutes, government, and start-ups, to develop new ideas for aerospace.
The learnings from each hub benefit the other hubs and the broader Airbus divisions such as Commercial Aircraft, Helicopters, Skywise (digital services), Defence and Space, and Airbus Atlantic (which designs and manufactures aircraft seating).
The hub will also leverage Canada’s expertise in AI and Quantum Computing to optimise everything from R&T simulations to flight operations.
The Canada hub will focus on three core technology pillars:
- The development of sustainable materials such as composites materials, circular materials (including recycling processes for titanium), and advanced conductive coatings.
- The exploration of decarbonisation technologies such as next-generation batteries, electrical taxiing, fuel cells and H2 systems, aerodynamics, and validating Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) for the A220.
- Integrating AI and industrial robotics to help increase production of the A220, and Digital Twin applications.
“The launch of the Airbus Tech Hub in Canada is more than an expansion; it is a strategic fusion of Airbus’ technology vision with Canada’s world-class aerospace competence,” said Rémi Maillard, EVP engineering Airbus Commercial Aircraft and head of technology at Airbus.
“By anchoring our research in this unique ecosystem, where AI leadership meets a commitment to decarbonisation, we are actively building the future of flight. Together with our Canadian partners, we will turn ambitious research into the industrial reality of a sustainable and digitally integrated aviation industry.”
