Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to inform the House that Nunavut hosted a successful cold weather flight testing of a new EC-725 helicopter in January, an Airbus A-318 and a Hawker Horizon in February.
The flight test program of the EC-725 commenced in early January and lasted for over three weeks.
The Airbus A-318 aircraft, with its new generation engines, was tested at Iqaluit International Airport earlier this month. A team of twenty personnel travelled to Iqaluit to support this mission.
This is the third consecutive year that new generation helicopters have been flight tested in Nunavut. NATO Helicopter Industries flight tested the NH-90 military helicopter in 2003 and Eurocopter tested the EC-155 police helicopter in 2004.
Nunavut is the premier cold weather testing centre for the European aircraft manufacturing industry. There is a considerable economic spin-off generated for Nunavut as a whole by virtue of these testing missions taking place in the territory. Planned expansion of the Iqaluit International Airport will help promote these unique economic opportunities in my constituency.