In parallel to the opening of Centennial College Downsview Campus Centre for Aerospace and Aviation, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft announced today the donation of a CRJ200 aircraft to the Centennial College Aviation Program at its new campus based in Downsview, to be used in the education and training of the future generation of aerospace professionals.

The CRJ200 is the first one of its kind to grace the Centennial College's Downsview facility hangar, it is also the biggest plane as well as the first ever commercial aircraft to be received at the site. The aircraft will allow students not only to have a hands on experience with CRJ Series technology, but also to learn on a bigger scale, furthering the level of expertise made available through the Centennial College Aviation Program.

"Advancement and innovation have always been at the forefront of Bombardier's values, says Fred Cromer, President, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft, which is why we are honored to present Centennial College with this CRJ200 aircraft. This donation represents not only an opportunity for the Toronto aerospace sector to grow but rather for the whole of Canadian Aerospace, which will surely benefit from it today. We are at a crucial moment in Canada where the aerospace industry is building up steady growth and the demand for skilled workers is also rising. At Bombardier, we want to do anything we can to help and improve present and future generations of aerospace workers in Canada."

This donation will further re-inforce the collaboration of Centennial College and the Downsview Aerospace Innovation and Research Consortium (DAIR) aimed at servicing the Greater Toronto Area. The DAIR Hub projects to strengthen the Toronto, Ontario, and Canada aerospace sector by increasing collaborative research and development, accelerating technology adoption, helping small and medium sized enterprises scale-up, and addressing the projected skills shortage in the industry through training and re-training.

The DAIR Hub is expected to help Canada stay competitive defending its leadership position on the world stage and propel Canadian aerospace forward. This initiative will also continue Downsview's tradition of world-class aerospace and aviation, a legacy that began with De Havilland nearly a hundred years ago.

Contributed by Bombardier