KF Aerospace to introduce new facilities, widebody aircraft capability at YHM

Canada-based maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) organization KF Aerospace broke ground this week on the expansion of its MRO facility at Hamilton International Airport (YHM).

KF’s CA$30 million project will add 150,000 square-feet of space to the company’s YHM operations, centered around a new 75,000 square-foot hanger. The new hangar will serve to introduce widebody aircraft capability and additional lines of maintenance to KF’s YHM operations. According to KF, the expansion is expected to triple its business in the Hamilton marketplace.

Home to Canadian carrier Cargojet, hub for Canada Post, Purolator Courier and United Parcel Service (UPS), and host to DHL Express, YHM is a major hub for cargo in Canada. Cargo volumes for 2018 at YHM increased by 5 percent over 2017, supported by the airport’s opening of its 77,000-square-foot cargo center with cool-chain facilities in 2015. The airport bills itself as the largest overnight express cargo airport in Canada, and is well-positioned for continued future growth due to its 24/7 operations and growth of the e-commerce industry in the region.

KF’s expansion of facilities at YHM continues the trend of air cargo industry stakeholders with a presence in Canada moving to support the scaling of both domestic and international gateway operations through securing contracts and building new facilities. In 2017, Purolator and Canada Post extended their air cargo contract with Cargojet through 2025. In late 2018, Air Canada Cargo began construction of its new 15,239 square-foot facility at Edmonton International Airport (YEG), while DSV Canada, subsidiary of Danish logistics company DSV, began building a 1.1 million square-foot facility in Milton, Ontario.

KF’s facility expansion will also support airfreight industry careers in the region as it is expected to create 275 new jobs over the next four years. Furthermore, the hangar expansion will include classroom space for Mohawk College’s aircraft maintenance engineer programs to provide students with training for careers in aerospace and aviation companies.

Canadian firms Ledcor Construction and NA Engineering will be responsible for design, manufacturing and construction of the project, with pre-fabrication of the hangar underway in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. Construction on the widebody hangar is expected to be completed in October 2019. Mohawk College classes in the new facility will likely begin in August 2020.