Bombardier Aerospace, now the world”s third largest ”plane maker behind Boeing and Airbus, is adjusting its regional aircraft deliveries to reflect current market demand. As a result, the production rate for its CRJ700/900 regional jets will be reduced. This will partly be offset by an increase in the Q400 turboprop production level in response to the growing need for this type of fuel efficient regional airliner, which is ideally suited to short haul routes. Bombardier says it will adjust its workforce level accordingly.
About 650 jobs will go at Bombardier”s Belfast factory, the former Shorts plant. A similar figure is likely in Canada, yet the Bombardier Mexico plant is to gain 1,200 workers.
Bombardier Aerospace president and chief operating officer Pierre Beaudoin said: ”We lead the regional aircraft market with 1,376 deliveries of our CRJ Series and 749 deliveries of our Q-Series regional aircraft, including more than 320 deliveries of our CRJ700/900 regional jets and over 350 deliveries of Q300/400 turboprop aircraft as of July 31, 2006. Recent orders for both our larger 90-passenger CRJ900 aircraft from Northwest Airlines and My Way Airlines, and 70-seat Q400 aircraft from Frontier Airlines and Luxair, demonstrates that we have the right products for operators looking to take advantage of our regional aircraft”s competitive operating economics".
Annual production for the 70-passenger CRJ700 and 90-seat CRJ900 regional jets is to be cut from 65 to 50 units over the next two years, whilst the Q200, Q300 and Q400 series turboprop goes up from 50 to 65.