De Havilland Aircraft of Canada renames DHC-515 Firefighter por «Canadair 515» to reflect the history and appreciation that Europe has for it. The announcement was made within the framework of the act of finalizing contractual negotiations with the European Union (EU) for the acquisition of 22 new aircraft.
The European Commission, the Government of Canada, the EU Member States and De Havilland Aircraft of Canada participated in the event. The Canadian builder gave scale models of the Canadair 515 to the EU representatives.
The EU Commissioner received an exclusive model of the aircraft with a scheme with the titles “RescEU”, while the rest of the entourage were treated to other models to celebrate the closing of the negotiation process.
Scale model of the Canadair 515 presented to the EU Commissioner
De Havilland Canada CEO Brian Chafe noted that «When people are near a forest fire in Europe, they ask when the Canadairs will come to help protect their community. Today, we are recognizing the service history of the Canadair fleet by renaming the aircraft ‘De Havilland Canadair 515’.”
«For our company, today is a great day, as it marks the end of discussions and the start of production in full swing. But the real work has only just begun. “European countries have placed their trust in De Havilland Canada, and it is up to all of us to deliver the plane to them on time.”Chafe added.
To celebrate the milestone, De Havilland Canada released a video outlining the current state of production of the aircraft, as well as an image of a rebadged De Havilland Canadair 515 in rescEU livery.
