The Globe and Mail reports in its Saturday edition that when Airbus SE announced its latest order for the Canadian-built A220 jet at a news conference in Mirabel, Que., this past May, the list of superlatives ran long. The Globe's Nicolas Van Praet writes that VIPs queued up to speak in an aircraft hangar bathed in blue light and proclaimed it the single biggest order to date for the airliner: A sale of 150 jets to low-cost carrier AirAsia worth $19-billion (U.S.) at list prices. It was also the biggest order in history for a Canadian-made commercial airplane, eclipsing Bombardier's regional jet sales over the years. The merriment in Mirabel was maybe the most visible symbol yet of a new era for Canadian aerospace. The plunge in global air travel during the COVID-19 crisis that paralyzed production seems now to be a distant memory. In its place is a rebound in demand that shows no sign of slowing. Executives at Airbus, Bombardier and other players are now dealing with record backlogs for their civil aircraft and positioning themselves for a wave of defence spending. Airbus has doubled its work force in Canada since 2016 and now employs more than 5,300 people in the country, its largest presence outside of Europe.