BOMBARDIER has confirmed that the Irish government is to acquire a Learjet 45, for ministerial travel, of which over 50% of the major components are built in the company”s Belfast Harbour plant. The eight passenger aircraft replaces a 23 year old Beechcraft. The Bombardier Learjet 45 has a range that permits non-stop flight from Dublin to cities as far airfield as Moscow and Istanbul. The government will continue to operate a Gulfstream IV which it sought to replace with a 40-seat aircraft. http://www.bombardier.com