Bombardier intends to resume aerospace manufacturing on 11 May, ending what will have been a seven-week production halt due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Montreal company has recalled some 11,000 Canada-based employees – the majority of its staff in the country. Those employees work in the company’s aviation divisions and its transportation unit, which makes train cars.
Manufacturing and services work will “gradually resume as of 11 May”, the company says.
The recalled staffers are those who must be on-site to perform their jobs; staff who can work from home will continue to do so.
Bombardier suspended operations in Canada and at its Belfast, Northern Ireland aerostructures site at the end of the day on 24 March.
“By continuing to work in close collaboration with the employee representatives and public health authorities in all the countries where we operate, Bombardier will establish itself as an example of a dynamic and responsible industrial leader in the global recovery,” says Bombardier chief executive Eric Martel in a release.
Bombardier makes CRJ regional jets for passenger airlines, and business jets such as the large-cabin, ultra-long range Global line.
