De Havilland Canada Announces a Phased Return to Work, Starting With 100 Employees

De Havilland Canada announced on Monday that they have started a phased return to work and measured resumption of work. During phase one, around 100 employees will return to work focusing on pre-flight activities and delivery of Dash 8-400 aircraft.

Today, De Havilland Canada announced that they have started a phased return to work for employees. In the first phase, around 100 employees will return to work to resume pre-flight activities and deliveries of the company’s Dash 8-400 regional turboprop aircraft. Manufacturing operations at the Toronto, Canada firm were suspended on March 20, 2020 to mitigate the effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic. In Monday’s announcement, De Havilland Canada’s Chief Operating Officer, Todd Young said,

“In harmony with ongoing efforts to curtail the effects of COVID-19, De Havilland Canada is glad to start welcoming our employees back to work to resume aircraft pre-flight activities and prepare for upcoming deliveries to our customers. The health and safety of our employees, customers and suppliers is the utmost priority and as such, we will continue to work closely with government agencies and the custodian of the Toronto Site, to ensure that protocols and processes are in place for a safe operational environment. The global aviation industry continues to face unprecedented uncertainty as a result of COVID-19 and we are adjusting the business to reflect the current market demand, as well as for the foreseeable future, and we will proactively manage costs and streamline our operations, in all areas of the business.”

During the production and delivery pause, De Havilland Canada continued to provide worldwide customer service and technical support to Dash 8 Series operators, with most team members working remotely. As previously announced, on April 23, 2020, Transport Canada approved De Havilland’s Simplified Package Freighter for the quick transformation of passenger cabins to a light freight format. Additionally, on April 28, 2020 the company delivered their first Dash 8-400 since the suspension of manufacturing operations.

Source: De Havilland Canada