Dufour Aerospace, a young Swiss company that develops electronic aircraft, is settling in the Montreal region. It plans to recruit around 30 engineers over the next 12 months.
“Dufour will first hire software engineers who will focus on developing the devices’ critical systems,” CEO and co-founder Thomas Pfammatter said yesterday.
“Montreal has high-quality universities and a strong community of software engineers that is second to none. In addition, Canada is the world’s second largest market for helicopters,” he explained.
Ambulances and small parcels
Dufour is working on two electric aircraft: the Aero3, a vertical take-off and landing (ADAV) aircraft intended for the air ambulance sector and the Aero2, a drone for transporting small parcels.
The Aero3 is inspired by the CL-84, an aircraft developed in the 1960s by Montreal’s Canadair, but which never entered service.
Founded in 2019, Dufour raised $13 million last year from a Swiss investment firm. Further funding is expected in the coming months.
Two other companies active in the ADAV aircraft sector are already present in Quebec: Unither Bioelectronics Inc., which is developing a drone for transporting organs, and Jaunt Air Mobility, an American firm which collaborates with the Montreal giant CAE.
