Perimeter Aviation to hire dozens of new workers

Perimeter Aviation plans to hire dozens of workers in the coming years after adding a new department to its operations.

The Winnipeg-based airline that services 28 communities in northern Manitoba and northwest Ontario announced this week it has launched a heavy check department.

The department, which will provide comprehensive maintenance checks on Perimeter’s fleet, is being built with a focus on skilled talent development and long-term workforce growth, according to the company.

Joey Petrisor, president and CEO, said Perimeter acquired the department from its sister company, PAL Aerospace. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Both companies are owned by Winnipeg-based Exchange Income Corp.

Thirty-five PAL employees have joined Perimeter as part of the agreement. A number of contractors currently round out the roster of aircraft maintenance engineers on the heavy check department’s two lines, Petrisor said.

Approximately 30 people work on a line. Perimeter’s goal is to have a total of three or four lines running in the next two or three years.

“EIC, along with Perimeter, understands that Winnipeg is kind of a hub of aviation, and we want to make sure that we’re pushing that hub in Winnipeg and supporting our local economy,” Petrisor said.

Perimeter has always had a heavy check department for its fleet of 19-passenger Metro airplanes, he added. The new addition will allow Perimeter to carry out in-house heavy checks on its Dash-8 aircraft, which typically seat 37 or 50 passengers.

This will strengthen Perimeter’s ability to deliver safe, reliable service, Petrisor said.

Aircraft maintenance engineers are in short supply, he said, adding that Perimeter continues to work closely with Red River College Polytech’s AME program to train apprentices.

“We’re… trying to (add) homegrown talent to our ranks,” Petrisor said.

Established in 1960, Perimeter Aviation operates from two bases in Manitoba — Winnipeg and Thompson — and four in Ontario: Sioux Lookout, Thunder Bay, Timmins and Toronto.

Last year, the company completed a $20-million passenger terminal in Winnipeg that tripled the size of its former space by adding 21,000 square feet.

Perimeter employs 1,000 people, approximately 650 of whom work in Manitoba, Petrisor said.

aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca