There was a lack of orders, and so, in early 2021, De Havilland Canada announced it was halting Dash-8 production. However, construction is about to start again and at a new location as the company announced on Thursday (September 22) the construction of a new factory 30 minutes east of Calgary.
The name: De Havilland Field, the company said will be the final assembly of the DHC-515 Firefighter, DHC-6 Twin Otter and Dash 8-400 will take place at the new location.
“We are currently working on bringing the DHC-6 Twin Otter and the Dash 8-400 back into production,” the company said. It would be a real comeback. In February 2021, De Havilland Canada had announced that it would not produce new Dash 8-400s beyond currently confirmed orders. At the same time, the manufacturer closed the plant at Downsview Airport in Toronto that it had taken over from previous owner Bombardier. The reason was a lack of orders.
The new location is expected to create around 1,500 jobs and will include manufacturing facilities, an airstrip, maintenance facilities, parts manufacturing and distribution centers, office and training facilities, and a De Havilland Aircraft Museum.
