Airbus report highlights Fort Erie helicopter operation

Brent Jones
July 16, 2026 at 9:46 PM

Airbus says its Fort Erie helicopter operation is part of a Canadian business network that generated $8.4 billion in gross domestic product over three years.

According to Airbus, the figure comes from a new economic analysis conducted by PwC Canada, measuring the company’s Canadian activities from 2023 to 2025 in 2025 dollars.

The company says its activities in Canada supported nearly 60,000 job-years over that period, or about 20,000 average annual jobs.

In Fort Erie, the local focus is Airbus Helicopters, which has operated in town since 1984.

According to Airbus, its Canadian helicopter operations contributed $237.5 million to Canada’s gross domestic product from 2023 to 2025.

The company says Airbus Helicopters’ work in Canada supported more than 350 suppliers across the country and nearly 2,000 jobs.

The first CT-153 Juno helicopter being prepared for the Royal Canadian Air Force completed initial Canadian test flights in Fort Erie back in May. Credit: SkyAlyne

Its helicopter operations in Canada are anchored by its Fort Erie site, which handles helicopter sales and deliveries, composite manufacturing, repair and overhaul, optional equipment development and support services.

The Fort Erie operation also supports more than 230 domestic operators and exports composite components to global markets, according to Airbus.

The company did not provide a Fort Erie-specific employment total in its latest news release.

Airbus says its Canadian presence has grown from a few hundred employees at the Fort Erie helicopter site in 1984 to more than 5,300 employees across the country, mostly in Quebec, Ontario and Nova Scotia.

The company spent more than $2.2 billion on its Canadian activities and operations in 2025, including spending with a supplier network of about 1,000 companies.

The broader Canadian analysis includes Airbus’ commercial aircraft, defence and space, helicopter and digital aviation services operations.