No info, but I agree, it looks like AC has been voluntarily heading down the path for overhaul maintenance in Quebec. Perhaps it was to help grease acceptance of the merger. Perhaps the overhaul done by the upstarts since Avious have proven their ability to get it done on time, and on cost.TFTMB heavy wrote: ↑Sat Feb 20, 2021 7:34 pm 11. Maintenance in Canada
Within one year following Closing, Air Canada shall negotiate, in good faith, and agree to enter into the agreements contemplated in the letter of intent between Air Canada and Avianor dated September 10, 2019 and the letter of intent between Air Canada and AAR dated February 17, 2020, regarding the construction and operation of facilities in the Province of Quebec for all airframe overhaul maintenance for all Air Canada and Air Canada Party Airbus A330, A320 family and A220 aircraft, providing that airframe overhaul maintenance shall, subject to the terms of the agreements to be entered into and consistent with the provisions of this paragraph 11, commence within four years after Closing. In particular, Air Canada shall provide its available volumes of A330, A320 and A220 airframe overhaul maintenance to support the construction and operation of A330 and A220 airframe overhaul maintenance facilities in Québec by Avianor and AAR; it being understood, however, that the decision of the independent suppliers to construct such facilities will be made based on, among other considerations, commercially reasonable volume projections, which will themselves be heavily dependent on when the Canadian airline industry is no longer substantially affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Looks like some things were already in motion with two letters of intent. Anyone have some insight on those two deals?
To me, all I see is a very laser focused acquisition by AC. Do they want to play the pandemic into a better deal? Of course. Do they want to leverage the threat to all those jobs? Not just Transats jobs but those future maintenance jobs. Of course.
But I don’t see AC coming all this way and turning down the acquisition of a competitor for almost free.