$500-million jet-building plant will soon open at Pearson Airport in Mississauga

Some of the world’s fastest and most luxurious private jets will be built in Mississauga by early fall when a $500-million state-of-the-art aircraft manufacturing plant is up and running at Pearson Airport.

A spokesperson for Montreal-based Bombardier told insauga.com via email today (Aug. 1) that the company’s 770,000-sq.-ft. Global Manufacturing Centre is almost ready to start building the various Global-brand jets the firm makes for a variety of clients around the world.

The business jet-manufacturing plant is the largest standalone structure to be built at Pearson in the last 20 years, airport officials have said.

“Bombardier is preparing to begin its move later this month (August) into its new manufacturing facility for the Global jets in Ontario at…Pearson Airport, which is set to open this fall,” the spokesperson said in the email.

Once the plant opens, some of the world’s fastest and most popular private jets will begin rolling off the line, including the Global 8000 set to begin production in 2025.

Bombardier’s Global 7500 business jet will be among the private planes built at Pearson Airport. (Photo: VistaJet)

The new Global Manufacturing Centre will replace the current final assembly plant located in Downsview. 

That facility was built in the 1960s and today houses some 2,000 workers. All of those employees will be brought along to the new Pearson plant, which company officials said earlier will significantly reduce  Bombardier’s industrial and environmental footprint in the area.  

A number of new workers will also be hired once the plant is up and running in Mississauga.

Bombardier president and CEO Éric Martel said in an interview earlier this year with Kitchener-based Skies Magazine, an aerospace and aircraft news publication, that the global aviation company would be on track to start the transition of operations from Downsview to the new Pearson plant in late summer.

He added the transition will be a gradual process in order to keep production lines moving seamlessly.

Environmentally-responsible features of the new manufacturing centre will reduce energy consumption by nearly 60 per cent and lower greenhouse gas emissions by more than half, according to Bombardier.

“We are extremely proud of the people who have been producing our best-in-class business jets for decades here in Ontario, and with the rising demand for large-cabin long-range aircraft, we are looking forward to providing our teams with a new, state-of-the-art work environment,” Martel said earlier, adding the huge new plant also signals Bombardier’s long-term commitment to building jets in Mississauga. 

Bombardier makes both Challenger and Global aircraft, renowned for their “cutting-edge innovation, cabin design, performance and reliability,” company officials say, adding Bombardier has a worldwide fleet of some 5,000 aircraft in service.

The Global 8000 will be the fastest jet in the world when it rolls off production lines starting in 2025. (Photo: Bombardier)

Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie said earlier that the new plant will strengthen the city’s “world-class aviation sector by continuing its relationship with Mississauga-based companies that provide leading-edge capabilities to support Bombardier’s family of Global business jets.” 

Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) officials say Bombardier’s “focus on innovation and connection” is a perfect fit for Pearson Airport as it builds back “a better, more resilient, more innovative aviation and aerospace sector right here in Mississauga.” 

The Global Manufacturing Centre is expected to help rebuild the Airport Employment Zone, which pre-COVID was home to the second-largest concentration of jobs in Canada, according to the GTAA, which runs Pearson.

When the plant opens, it will be home to the most advanced aircraft manufacturing processes in the world, says Bombardier, which with more than 68,000 employees is a global leader in the transportation industry.

The firm, with facilities in 28 countries, also builds trains.  

“…the cutting-edge facility will optimize final assembly operations for all Global business jets, including the industry flagship Global 7500 business jet,” Bombardier, which has signed a long-term lease agreement with the GTAA to remain at the location, said earlier. “The (plant) will also reinforce Canada’s leading position in the business aviation market.”