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Bombardier estimates that the world business aircraft fleet will see annual growth of almost four per cent
in the next 20 years, and Ontario’s Flying Colours Corp.is well-positioned to take advantage of this growing market.
The 25-year-old family-owned business has grown from mainly aircraft sales and leasing to a leading aviation service
provider specializing in the completion, painting and refurbishment of business aircraft. Customers from around the
world have sought out this entrepreneurial company for its increasing range of aviation services.
At its facilities at Peterborough’s municipal airport, approximately 125 kilometers northwest of Toronto, Flying Colours
can have more than a dozen new and refurbished business aircraft being fitted with elegant handcrafted interiors at any
given time. Painting, refurbishment and maintenance activities often go hand-in-hand when a business aircraft changes owners
or requires an exhaustive “C” maintenance check. There the cabin interior is dismantled, landing gear is overhauled, and the
aircraft structure and systems are thoroughly inspected.
In 2007, Flying Colours bought several 50-seat Bombardier CRJ200
regional jets, which were being retired from airline service. Refurbishing them as executive/VIP business aircraft, sales
of what became known as the CRJ ExecLiner took off, with orders from the United States, the Middle East and emerging markets
such as India, Russia, Africa and China.
The passenger interiors of the aircraft were removed, replaced by alarge executive interior featuring eight to 16 custom-
designed leather-covered seats, modern custom cabinetry and fixtures and new sidewalls. An extra fuel tank was added to the
cargo compartment to boost the aircraft’s non-stop range from 2,000 to 3,000 nautical miles. Recognizing Flying Colours’
high-quality craftsmanship, Bombardier Business Aircraft decided to outsource the interior completion of its Challenger 850
business jet to the company in 2008 and the larger Challenger 870 in 2013.
Even in the unsettled economy after 2008, demand for refurbished aircraft remained strong, allowing Flying Colours to expand.
In 2014, further growth was supported by a $1.2-million grant from the Ontario government’s Eastern Ontario Development Fund.
The company has now completed the first of a three-phase expansion plan, with a 20,000-square-foot extension of an existing
hangar and the opening of an MRO service centre in Singapore.
Embracing the principle that “a mile of highway will take you a mile, but a mile of runway will take you anywhere,” the
federal, provincial and municipal governments invested $28.6 million in 2009 to extend the Peterborough airport’s main runway
from 5,000 to 7,000 feet to accommodate larger aircraft such as the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 series.
This airport expansion helped Flying Colours become a Bombardier Authorized Service Facility forthe Bombardier Challenger
and Global business jets.To support its rapid growth and expansion, Flying Colours created a pipeline for new employees by
partnering with nearby Sir Sanford Fleming College to create an aircraft interior technician program—the first of its kind
in North America. What started as a four-month coursequickly became a two-year diploma program driven by demand from the
industry for highly trained workers.
Parallel to that has been the recent establishment of a new Aviation and Aerospace Specialists High Skills training centre
at the Peterborough airport, which gives grade 11 and 12 students a lift toward an aviation career. On the international front,
China is one of Flying Colours’ major markets. In 2013, the Chinese business jet fleet increased by 21 percent to 371 aircraft,
according to Aviation International News ,and Bombardier expects the fleet to increase to 2,640 aircraft by the end of 2032.
Flying Colours has become the first Canadian aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul service provider to receive complete
airframe and specialized service certificate approval from the Civil Aviation Administration of China, which will help the
company take advantage of that nation’s growing market. With the help of a highly skilled workforce and access to domestic
and international markets, Flying Colours has found tremendous growth opportunities in Ontario. The company is well-positioned
to meet the global demand for the customized completion and refurbishment of business aircraft.
The author is Counsellor (Commercial-Ontario) High Commission of Canada - New Delhi.
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