Minister Fast Congratulates CHC Helicopter on Nigerian Joint Venture

OTTAWA, Canada, January 31, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- The Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway, tours the new facilities of Atlantic Aviation. He congratulated Atlantic Aviation on receiving its Air Operator Certificate. The certification means that Atlantic Aviation, a Jagal Group company strategically supported by CHC Helicopter S.A., can begin providing helicopter transport services to Nigeria's offshore oil and gas industry.

CHC Helicopter is a world leader in offshore helicopter operations. Headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, the company operates more than 250 aircraft in about 30 countries around the world. Through Atlantic Aviation, CHC has an exclusive partnership with the Jagal Group in Nigeria.

Minister Fast is on a six-day trade mission to Nigeria and Ghana to advance the interests of Canadian businesses in sub-Saharan Africa. Increased trade will in turn create jobs and increased prosperity for all Canadians. Minister Fast is accompanied on the trade mission by representatives of nearly 30 Canadian organizations, most of them operating in the extractive industries and infrastructure sectors.

This first trade mission of 2013, which is being organized by the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service, is one of several strategically focused, sector-specific missions to fast-growing regions around the world that Minister Fast has led since becoming international trade minister.

The Canadian Trade Commissioner Service, a part of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, is located in more than 150 cities worldwide and in regional offices across Canada, and is Canada's most extensive network of international business professionals. The Trade Commissioner Service helps companies that are looking to export, invest abroad, attract investment or develop innovation and R & D partnerships.

For more information about Minister Fast's visit to sub-Saharan Africa, please visit Minister Fast's Trade Mission to Africa.