£70m pledged already at Ulster economic summit

US:NI Conference

Invest US:NI

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Bombardier gets the conference off to flying start

Thursday, May 08, 2008

Bombardier Aerospace got the US:NI investment conference off to a flying start last night by announcing a £70m investment in its Shorts subsidiary.

The Canadian company made the announcement at the opening event of the conference, a reception held at the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum.

The investment, which is being offered financial assistance of £9.7m by Invest NI, will help to underpin 1,000 jobs at the Belfast operation, which has a total workforce of 5,000.

The funding will cover technologically advanced aircraft development projects and incorporates more than £50m for the manufacture of major components for the new CRJ1000 regional aircraft, including the fuselage, nacelle and flight control surfaces.

Pierre Beaudoin, president and chief operating officer of Bombardier Aerospace confirmed the investment when he was addressing delegates at the reception.

Michael Ryan, the vice-president and general manager of Shorts, said: " We are delighted to be able to confirm this investment and are grateful for Invest NI's support for these programmes.

"Our Belfast operation plays an important role in all of Bombardier's families of regional and business aircraft and is a centre of excellence for aircraft technologies and products.

"This year we are celebrating our centenary. With continued investment in new technologies and products, we are laying the foundation for our next 100 years."

Economy Minister Nigel Dodds, who hosted last night's reception, also welcomed the news

He said: "I commend Bombardier Aerospace on making this significant commitment to its Northern Ireland operation.

"This investment, supported by Invest NI, will underpin over 1,000 jobs into the future and will help to sustain, and grow, the productivity and global competitiveness of the local aerospace sector as a whole, one of Northern Ireland's biggest private sector employers.

"As the oldest aerospace region in the world, Northern Ireland has a strong aviation heritage and, consequently, a highly skilled and motivated workforce in the sector.

"These attributes, coupled with a commitment to innovation and efficient work practices, play a significant role in helping to secure this kind of re-investment from a major international company like Bombardier and are indicative of the standard of local manufacturing operations."

"The CRJ1000 will cater for the growing demand for regional aircraft in North America, Europe and Asia and will help to strengthen Bombardier's position in these markets. I wish the company every success with this venture and look forward to seeing the positive effect it will have on Northern Ireland's economy as a whole."

The 100-seat CRJ1000 NextGen was launched by Bombardier in February last year with 39 firm orders, conditional orders and options for more than 60 aircraft.

The main selling point is its lower fuel consumption than older aircraft of similar passenger capacity and reduced CO2 emissions of up to 30%. It's first flight is scheduled for this summer and it will enter service in the fourth quarter of 2009.

Belfast is designing and manufacturing the main fuselage, engine nacelles and advanced composite wing components for the CRJ1000.

The composite wing components consist of flaps, vanes and ailerons, which will be produced at Bombardier's advanced composites facility at Dunmurry using the Resin Transfer Moulding (RTM) composites process developed by the Belfast operation.