HispanicBusiness

MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwire) -- 01/07/13 -- Lockheed Martin Canada Incorporated has announced it has purchased certain assets of the engine maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) business of AVEOS Fleet Performance in Montreal, Quebec.

"This means that some of our people who lost their jobs when AVEOS closed, will get their jobs back," explained a very happy IAM District Lodge 140 President and General Chairperson Fred Hospes. "This is great news for our members, the province of Quebec and the aviation industry in Canada because we retain this vital component in Canada and the jobs that go with it."

"The former AVEOS workforce is very skilled with a high level of expertise that is hard to find," said Amy Gowder, vice president and general manager of Kelly Aviation Center, a Lockheed Martin affiliate. "Hiring a number of AVEOS' previous employees and operating in Montreal will supplement the MRO services for engine types and engine parts repair capabilities currently provided by Kelly Aviation Center in San Antonio. Together, both locations will have a long list of services to provide to customers."

"We made a pledge to our members when AVEOS closed that the IAM would do everything in is power to maintain this MRO capability in Canada and preserve as many jobs as possible," explained IAM Canadian General Vice President Dave Ritchie. "The IAM has worked tirelessly on behalf of former AVEOS members in negotiations with Lockheed Martin and the provincial government to make this happen. We never gave up on them."

The engine MRO assets provide capabilities to perform a complete range of services on the CF34and CFM56 engine families, which include engines that power the regional Embraer and Canadian RJ jets and the Airbus 320 family, respectively. The facility will be named Kelly Aviation Center Montreal, a Lockheed Martin Canada company, and become part of Lockheed Martin's engine MRO line of business, which includes Kelly Aviation Center, a Lockheed Martin affiliate based in San Antonio, Texas.

The IAM is the largest union in the Canadian air transport and aerospace sectors.



Contacts:
Fred Hospes
IAM District Lodge 140 President and General Chairperson
604-448-0721 or 778-829-8140

Dave Ritchie
IAM Canadian General Vice President
416-386-1789 Ext #6323

Bill Trbovich
IAM Director of Communications
416-386-1789 Ext #6331 or 416-735-9765