Bombardier’s CSeries programme will cost $2.6 billion to deliver the five-model family of aircraft – and that investment is being split three ways. In addition to Bombardier’s investment, money is coming from risk-sharing partners and from governments.
It is the last area of “repayable investment” that has the potential to reignite the trade dispute between Canada and Brazil (home of competitor Embraer) and possibly Boeing, currently engaged in a row with Airbus over “subsidies” to aircraft programmes.
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Bombardier dismisses the idea and says the repayable investment is broken down thus: $350 million from the Government of Canada; $118 million from the Government of Quebec and $310 million jointly from the UK Government and the Northern Ireland Executive.
“The CSeries aircraft programme is a compelling business proposal for both Canada and Quebec as well as Northern Ireland and British Government departments,” says Guy Hachey, president and chief operating officer, Bombardier Aerospace.
“It involves, among other things, the development of new technology, creation of employment and further consolidation of Canada’s leadership in the aerospace industry.”
The input of government, Bombardier and risk-sharing partners translates into jobs on the ground. That includes 1,000 jobs directly created at the Mirabel, Montreal Final Assembly Line, rising to 3,500 when manufacturing peaks around 2017. It will also translate into some 800 jobs at Bombardier’s Belfast plant where the wings will be designed and built.
“Our Belfast operation has close to 40 years experience in advanced composites technologies, which have been successfully applied to regional and commercial jets, including the Bombardier CRJ NextGen jets,” says Hachey.
“Our highly skilled experts continue to develop technologies to take on more advanced composite structures for advanced-design aircraft such as our CSeries aircraft.”
Source: Flight International
