Canadian Aviator Magazine

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Critics are saying Air Canada is influencing Canadian foreign policy after the United Arab Emirates evicted the Canadian Forces from a forward military base used to supply troops in Afghanistan. Camp Mirage, one of the most loosely guarded secrets in the Canadian military (just Google it) is a base within an Emirati military facility in the vast desert that makes up most of the collection of family fiefdoms. It's also used by the Australians. Canada's staged its Afghan operations from Camp Mirage for seven years and the lease expired in June. The UAE wanted Canada to allow more flights by its flag carriers Emirates and Etihad as part of a new lease agreement. Air Canada lobbied against the deal, arguing that service to the UAE was a cover for pulling away passengers who were on the way to other destinations that Air Canada serves. Regardless of Air Canada's involvement or whatever might have gone on in the diplomatic exchange between Canada and the UAE, Defence Minister Peter MacKay said the eviction is a done deal. The Canadian Forces will pull up stakes and set up somewhere else (Germany and Cyprus are the likely candidates). MacKay made the comment in Afghanistan while on a Thanksgiving dinner tour of Canadian installations with Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Walt Natynczyk and Veterans' Affairs Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn. The trio planned to stop at Camp Mirage on their way home Monday but the UAE turned the Canadian Forces Polaris away, forcing it to divert, ultimately to Rome. Canada has about three weeks to pull out of Camp Mirage. Executives at Bombardier are likely burning the midnight oil getting ready for the next month as some mission-critical decisions will have a profound impact on the future of the aerospace division. At the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) convention later this month in Atlanta (Canadian Aviator will be there) the company will launch a challenge to Gulfstream's 650, a 7,000 nm, Mach .925 luxury suite with crew cabin and room for the board of directors in the back. Bombardier hasn't said whether it's a clean-sheet or upgrade of the Global Express XRS (Mach .89 and 6,300 nm) but the betting is on a re-engined XRS, likely with the same Rolls-Royce BR750 super efficient engines that power the G650, which, by the way, is nearing certification. The "new" Bombardier will also undoubtedly have new avionics and cabin management systems and will have to come in around $65 million to be competitive. On the commercial side, Air Canada is looking at replacing its single-aisle fleet of A319s and 320s and you can bet Bombardier is telling them smaller is better. The CSeries expensively under development in Montreal and Ireland seats 130 in its announced form but there are suggestions a 150-seat version will be available. The aircraft is said to be up to 30 per cent more efficient than what's currently available in that size. However, Airbus and Boeing are both taking Bombardier's trespass into their traditional turf seriously and there will be new versions of their single-aisle models ready to meet the challenge.

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