Airbus and Bombardier to partner in aircraft programme

Airbus is buying a majority stake in Bombardier’s C Series programme. The two aircraft manufacturers announced the partnership on Monday evening, weeks after Bombardier was hit by a 300% import levy by the US following a complaint from rival Boeing that the company had dumped its C Series jets at “absurdly low” prices. The Canadian-owned company is due to begin delivering an order of up to 125 new jets to Delta next year. Boeing claims that aid from the UK and Canadian governments amounts to illegal subsidy. It is not yet known how the surprise move will affect Bombardier’s 4,000 employees in Belfast. The tariffs have put huge pressure on Bombardier, and unions said workers in Northern Ireland were holding their breath as they waited for the verdict of the trade dispute, fearing their jobs were at risk. Both the UK and Canadian governments had been considering hitting back at Boeing by withholding defence work from them. Airbus’s CE, Tom Enders, said: “This is a win-win for everybody. The C Series, with its state-of-the-art design and great economics, is a great fit with our existing single-aisle aircraft family and rapidly extends our product offering into a fast growing market sector."<br/>