When Al Meinzinger accepted the offer to become president of Boeing Canada in June 2024, he saw it as another way to serve. The 37-year member of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), who began his military career as a tactical helicopter pilot and concluded it in August 2022, following a four-year term as commander of the RCAF, has service ingrained in his family. His father served 36 years, primarily as an aircraft loadmaster, and his son recently joined the Canadian Army, the third successive generation in the family to serve. His sister spent almost 30 years in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and his brother-in-law was a member of the Army. “There’s a strong sense of service in my family, and I’m very proud of that.”
When he spoke with Skies in October, Boeing was dealing with the aftermath of the lengthy 2019 grounding of the 737 Max fleet, a strike affecting its commercial production line, and the pending layoffs of up to 10 percent of its global workforce. Despite the turmoil, Boeing retains a strong backorder that bodes well for its Canadian operations, and is making investments in Canadian industry and research, in part as a result of the government’s selection of the P-8A Poseidon for the Canadian Multi-Mission Aircraft program. Boeing aircraft are also strong contenders for future military programs.
Skies: What attracted you to this job?
Al Meinzinger: I guess to some extent it’s based on my past experiences, and to some degree my desire to want to serve in a different way. In my career journey, I’ve had occasion to work and collaborate with Boeing members. Some of this was obviously in Ottawa over the last 10 years, but also on deployment, meeting some of the field service reps that were, at that time, helping to keep our CH-147 Chinook Deltas serviceable for the mission in Afghanistan. My first flight in a commercial aircraft as a young kid, traveling with my family to Scotland, was on a military Boeing 707. I’ve always been impressed with Boeing as a company. It’s an iconic company with a tremendous history. So, I was delighted by the offer to join.
Skies: What’s the scope of your responsibility?
A.M.: I work for Dr. Brendan Nelson, president of Boeing Global, who looks after the various country leaders that we have across the globe. It was 105 years ago that Boeing first started operating in Canada. And in the passage of time, Boeing has grown a footprint that’s changed and evolved over the years. Today, we are in seven provinces across 15 different sites. The largest cohort is in Winnipeg. The team there does fabulous work building composite components that largely support our commercial fleets, such as complex work around landing gear doors for the wide body aircraft and inner barrel work for the engines. Through our Jeppesen office in Montreal, we produce flight operations software that supports our airline customers and some of our military customers, and we also produce digital aviation products for the broader aviation and aerospace market.
Skies: Do you have a business development and/or supply chain development role?
A.M.: I don’t have a BD role. The business units of Boeing — think Boeing Defense, Boeing Commercial, Boeing Global Services — effectively are responsible for the business development aspects of Boeing. If you look at the market in Canada today, we have many customers. The largest, of course, would be Air Canada and WestJet, but there are many more that, to be honest, I wasn’t fully aware of while I was serving in uniform — Air North, Air Inuit, Nolinor, Cargojet. In total, Boeing has approximately 370 commercial aircraft operating in Canada. We currently have about 70 percent of the commercial market share, and there are a number of orders currently booked with various airlines.
So, I think we’re well positioned in Canada. There are 100,000 Canadians that fly in a Boeing aircraft each and every day. There are almost 800 specific Boeing aircraft movements, either inside Canada or to and from Canada, every day. It’s a significant level of activity.
From a macro perspective, I was recently reading an International Air Transport Association report that looks 20 years in the future, and they see over three percent year-over-year growth in passenger travel. From a Boeing perspective, in North America, we see demand of up to 9,000 new aircraft in the commercial sector. Canada will be part of that. And clearly, as we look to the north of our country, we’re seeing fundamental changes as a consequence of global warming … [and] many of the companies I mentioned will be more active, flying to and from the North. I’m very optimistic in terms of the overall demographics and the macro realities underpinning our commercial business.
Skies: Boeing has announced a 10 percent cut to its workforce. What’s the likely impact on Winnipeg and at other sites across Canada?
A.M.: Boeing is reducing the workforce, essentially to better align with our financial and fiscal realities and to be more focused on a new set of priorities, a more refined set of priorities. We are using the term “reduction in force” as we go through the challenging task of identifying and laying off employees. I can’t speak at this time to what that may mean for Canada. For me as the leader of Boeing Canada, it’s really important that we go through this process with empathy and respect for employees, making sure we’re as transparent as we can be. Our employees deserve to be treated this way.
Skies: Have you been told to anticipate cuts in Canada?
A.M.: The company is reducing the total workforce size by roughly 10 percent, and reductions will vary across the globe. While some employees in Canada will be impacted, the specifics are still being finalized.
Skies: Over the past six months, Boeing has invested more than $300 million into companies in B.C., Quebec, and Saskatchewan. Some are Boeing subsidiaries; others are smaller companies and training institutes — some Indigenous owned. But there appears to be a theme around training, aircraft maintenance engineer (AME) training in particular, as well as data analytics and innovation. Are these areas that Boeing is deliberately targeting?
A.M: Indeed. The activity you described is related to the fact the Government of Canada is procuring a new fleet of P-8A aircraft. In terms of the industrial technological benefits (ITBs), a requirement of working with the government when we procure capability, I’m very impressed with the ITB program roll out. As you’ve indicated, we announced in Saskatoon earlier this year an investment in the Saskatoon Indian Institute of Technologies, about $17 million, to help that training enterprise produce significantly more AMEs that will ultimately find their way into the broader aerospace industry … and they’re going to be vitally important to the future success of our country.
The investment in Montreal was significant. First, we’re investing over $100 million into the Aerospace Development Centre in the Québec Espace Aéro Innovation Zone, for research and development that will help position Canada for the future. Boeing will have a role in that by virtue of the investment. A portion of money ($35 million) is also going to help Héroux-Devtek develop next generation landing gear, which is exciting [given that] today the majority of landing gear for commercial aircraft are produced in Canada.
Thirdly, we are investing in one of our Boeing subsidiaries, Wisk Aerospace, a company that is currently fielding an autonomous air taxi that will fundamentally change how we think about air mobility in urban areas. We invested a little less than $100 million to grow the engineering team in Montreal and we’re looking to field the capability toward the back end of this decade.
And lastly, in B.C., monies were invested into Boeing Vancouver to develop new data analytics tools that will underpin the support we provide to some of our customers; and [$13 million] in a small company on Vancouver Island, COTA Aviation, that is conducting training but also looking to scale manufacturing to support Boeing Commercial.
You’re right, there are a whole host of priorities within those investments, and there’s more to come. It’s a significant amount of money that will be invested. Areas of focus are clearly supply chain resilience, innovation and R&D [research and development], sustainability, and training. These are all important priorities to the Government of Canada.
Skies: Beyond the ITB obligation, are there specific capabilities within the Quebec Aerospace Development Centre, which has a mission to advance sustainable aerospace, that you are hoping to leverage?
A.M.: This part of the cluster in Montreal is focused on autonomy and sustainability … and you can connect some of those investments to what we’ve prioritized as a company. It’s a win-win. It’s a win for Canada in terms of the flow of funds into some of these areas, but it’s also a win for Boeing in the sense that we’re creating strong relationships with companies in Canada that we see as benefiting over the long run. ITBs are a part of the procurement process that I didn’t necessarily fully appreciate, being a military officer that had a specific responsibility for military requirements.
Skies: Set that in the context of a smaller Canadian company: How do I know what you’re seeking to fulfill with your ITBs? How do I get on your radar?
A.M.: I’ve been learning how we do business as a company. I’m very impressed with the fact that in Canada, we have over 500 accredited suppliers that help us build capabilities for our customers. With the small- and medium-sized aerospace companies that have approached me over the last five months, wanting to have a discussion about what they do as a Canadian company, my responsibility is to make sure that I connect these companies with our strategic partnership team. And if that opportunity makes sense, there is a follow-on step where we connect that company to our supply chain onboarding team. Obviously, there’s a process to become a Boeing supplier … [but] some of the ITB investments are great opportunities for companies to become a larger player in the broader Boeing company. I will obviously have my willowstick out, and will be very attentive to what I see with my own two eyes, and will be sharing that with the broader Boeing team. I do value Canada’s rich history in aerospace, and I think there’s more that we can do looking to the future.
Skies: Boeing has indicated it will pursue Canada’s Airborne Early Warning and Control program with the E-7A. Given that it’s a 737NG variant, like the P-8A, do you intend to get the Team Poseidon band back together to pursue it? Or is the door open for other companies?
A.M.: Boeing Defense is very aware of those future opportunities, and I’m confident at the right time, our various teams will present the required information and the proposals that will be called for by the Government of Canada. The E-7A is a superb aircraft that will be able to identify, track, and prioritize targets seamlessly. We know that NATO has selected the E-7A. United States Air Force is on contract for the E-7A. When we think about Canada’s NORAD commitment and the requirement for interoperability, I think there’s a good opportunity for Boeing to compete the E-7A into that program.
Also, I think to the replacement of the [CH-146] Griffon helicopter with the next Tactical Aviation Capability Set (nTACS). We will be very attentive to that procurement when the government asks for proposals or information. We have the Fighter Lead-In Training (FLIT) opportunity that will play out in the coming years, along with some space projects that are in the defence policy, and perhaps even uncrewed aerial systems and weapons systems.
In addition, there is sustainment work. The P-8A fleet will be a superb asset for Canada, providing maritime domain awareness around our continent, and do that at great distances for a great length of time. … But, of course, there will be a need to sustain that in the future, and Boeing will be very interested in that opportunity.
Skies: How is Boeing approaching the FLIT program? You are bidding an aircraft, the T-7A Red Hawk, rather than an entire training program. Do you look for a training OEM as the prime and then become a partner?
A.M.: We look forward to participating in Canada’s Future Fighter Lead-In Trainer program and offering an advanced trainer to meet the Canadian Armed Forces’ needs. Whether a T-7A or a derivative, we will collaborate closely with the [FLIT] program and offer the optimum T-7 solution for the Royal Canadian Air Force.
Skies: Your predecessor speculated about the T-7A not only as an option for FLIT, but also as a potential Snowbird demonstration aircraft, and even a platform for 414 Electronic Warfare Support Squadron, to support combat training.
A.M.: I’m always cautious to not overreach in terms of expectations. The T-7 in a FLIT role is going to be there to train and, of course, having modern tools to facilitate that will be key. We’ll need to see the requirements; once we have those, then the team will be able to put its best foot forward.
Skies: Boeing Global Services has, over the years, held up the CH-147F in-service support program in Petawawa, Ont., as the example of how to provide sustainment. Has Boeing had interest from other countries in exporting that model?
A.M.: There’s no question that a global company like Boeing would [look to] leverage what has been learned and advanced in one constituency, 450 Tactical Helicopter Squadron in Petawawa, and, to the extent that they can, share that with a future customer. I know the work that the team has done over the years has been exceptional. They’ve really advanced the Chinook capability far forward. As the commander of the Air Force, I was impressed with the tactical aviation community’s ability to deploy the Chinooks into Mali. That was the first major international deployment for the Chinook, and it gave us a chance to support the mission in a way that had not been done before. That was largely due to the quality of the team on the ground—the aircrew, the maintainers and the support personnel—but also the fact that we had the fat tanks, a requirement established decades ago. Consequently, the Chinook in Mali was able to do things at much greater distances than the NH90. I’m very proud of that work, and we learned a lot. So, yes, I think Boeing would leverage what they’ve learned and offer that to future customers.