The Canadian Business Aviation Association (CBAA) is holding its annual convention in Toronto until Thursday and the comprehensive attendance by most major players in the industry is indicative of the growth potential in the resource and oil-rich country. For instance, Hawker Beechcraft has assigned a full-time marketing vice president, Chris Charnley, to cover the vast territory. “Since the organizational change, we’ve been able to focus our efforts on the growing sales in Canada,” said Chris Charnley, vice president of Canadian sales. “The strategy has been very successful and we are ecstatic about the results to date.” Hawker Beechcraft sales in Canada increased 30 percent last year.
Embraer, Cessna and, of course, Canadian-built Diamond and Bombardier aircraft are on display. The oil boom in northern Alberta has fueled boisterous growth in business aviation activity as companies look for efficient ways to shuttle employees and managers to the huge tar sands projects.
