Ottawa, Ont.
The Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC) is pleased to announce the recent sale of a Viking Air Limited (Viking) DHC-6 Series 400 Twin Otter aircraft to Argentina’s Federal Police. The Twin Otter, manufactured at Viking’s facilities in Sidney, British Columbia, and Calgary, Alberta, is a 19-passenger utility aircraft renowned for its reliably and versatility. The contract also covers pilot training in Canada, including flight simulation, for six Argentinian pilots.
CCC’s expertise in international contracting facilitated this transaction on behalf of Viking, reducing procurement risk and enabling Argentina to quickly acquire a custom aircraft to address safety and security needs.
This procurement aligns with the 2011 Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Security of Argentina and CCC for the acquisition of security equipment.
The second phase of the contract will see the aircraft fitted with firefighting capabilities and other enhanced systems. The versatility of the fully outfitted Twin Otter for multiple roles (such as firefighting, transportation, search and rescue, medical evacuations and other capabilities) will make this Argentina’s first truly multi-purpose aircraft.
Quick Facts
- Bilateral trade between Canada and Argentina was valued at $2 billion in 2018. Aerospace products are Canada’s second most important export to Argentina.
- CCC’s unique government-to-government contracting mechanism enables countries like Argentina to meet urgent deadlines and reduce procurement risk.
- Argentina has a strong history with the Twin Otter. Argentina’s Armed Forces have used the legacy de Havilland Twin Otter aircraft for 50 years and the country has an established maintenance facility.
- The DHC-6 Twin Otter is a rugged Short Take Off and Landing (“STOL”) commuter aircraft capable of carrying passengers and cargo into remote locations.
- Viking Air Limited is a Canadian-based leader in utility aircraft services. In 2006, Viking purchased the Type Certificates for all of the out-of-production de Havilland aircraft (DHC-1 through DHC-7), including the Twin Otter. Due to overwhelming market demand for this highly reliable aircraft, Viking brought the Twin Otter back into production.
- CCC was active in 74 countries in 2018–19 and helped facilitate exports of $3.4 billion of goods and services delivered by Canadian companies.
Quotes
“CCC was pleased to work with Viking to help them sell the iconic Twin Otter aircraft to Argentina’s Federal Police. When we sign deals like this, we help Canadian exporters grow their business and we also help foreign governments acquire the Canadian products they need.”
Carl Marcotte, President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Commercial Corporation
“This is the first new aircraft for the Argentine Federal Police in 41 years, the last one had been bought in 1978. A new generation Canadian Twin Otter incorporating the latest technology, this aircraft is a key instrument for the fight against organized crime, against drug trafficking, and can also be utilized as a medical evacuation aircraft and help against natural disasters providing wildfire suppression support.”
Patricia Bullrich, Minister of Security, Government of Argentina
“We are pleased to provide Argentina with a new Viking Series 400 Twin Otter. The Twin Otter has a reputation of being reliable and versatile for operations in extreme environments. The Viking Series 400 incorporates leading technology in the proven Twin Otter design, and will be further customized to meet the needs of Argentina’s Federal Police. We are always delighted to work with long-time legacy Twin Otter operators such as Argentina, and have them welcome the new Series 400 into their Twin Otter operations.
Viking has worked with CCC on numerous sales. Their international contracting expertise is essential when it comes to helping Canadian exporters close deals with foreign governments.”
Robert Mauracher, Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Viking Air Limited
About CCC
CCC is Canada’s government-to-government contracting organization.CCC supports the growth of international trade by helping Canadian exporters gain access to foreign government procurement opportunities. Through a unique government-to-government contracting approach, CCC positions qualified Canadian exporters to win international contracts with governments abroad, while significantly reducing the risks associated with foreign procurement.Through commercial advocacy, collaborative project development and foreign contracting expertise CCC helps Canadian exporters and foreign government buyers reduce procurement risk in key markets, including, information & communication technologies, cleantech, construction & infrastructure, aerospace, and defence & public safety.
About Viking Air Ltd.
Viking Air Ltd. is a Canadian-based leader in utility aircraft services and manufacturer of the Series 400 Twin Otter. Viking is the Original Type Certificate holder for out-of-production de Havilland aircraft and the Canadair Aerial Firefighter fleet.
Longview Aviation Capital Corp. (LAC) subsidiaries include Viking Air Ltd., De Havilland Aircraft of Canada, Pacific Sky Aviation Inc., Longview Aviation Asset Management Inc. and Longview Aviation Services. LAC manages a portfolio of long-term investments in the Canadian aerospace industry.
