Ottawa-Washington tariff war will hit Canada’s aerospace sector hard

The Canada-US tariff war will reduce Canada’s production of engine parts and raise industry-wide costs, Reuters reports. Proposed tariffs on aluminum could directly cost Canada’s aerospace industry USD 500 mn as well as raise maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) costs on both sides of the border. Canada’s retaliatory tariffs would also hamper the sector’s ability to source essential US-made parts, trade group Aero Montreal’s president Melanie Lussier told Reuters.

Belgium’s Brussels Airport and Charleroi Airport have canceled all departing flights on 31 March due to the nationwide strike, Reuters reports. The ground crews and security staff walkout comes in objection to the new government’s labour market reforms and pension regulations.

A growing strikes movement: Brussels Airport canceled all flights departing in February amid a national strike. Charleroi Airport also canceled all flights for some time back in September and October due to a joint union strike, citing security concerns caused by staff shortages.

IATA makes headway on SAF Registry: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has established the Civil Aviation Decarbonization Organization (Cado) to provide oversight for IATA’s Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Registry, according to a statement. Cado will provide technical support and operations to organizations that operate in the SAF value chain. States and quasi-states with direct interest can also benefit from the SAF Registry.

We’ve kind of been expecting this: The IATA said it plans to launch a SAF Registry in 1Q2025 to hasten adoption by tracking and reporting emissions cutbacks attributed to the biofuel. Emirates and Qatar Airways are regional carriers supporting the registry, alongside United Airlines, Air France, Air Canada, American Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Japan Airlines, DHL Group, and others. Airbus, Boeing, and GE Aerospace represent the OEMs supporting the initiative, together with fuel producer World Energy.