BOMBARDIER's Belfast staff have received a timely Christmas boost after the firm secured a new engine contract with Airbus.
The Canadian company, which employs almost 5,000 people in Northern Ireland, has been selected by Airbus as a supplier on a new engine nacelle (cover) programme for the Pratt &Whitney powered A320neo family of aircraft.
Bombardier’s Northern Ireland operations (Short Brothers plc) has been chosen to develop and manufacture a new thrust reverser - a component that helps slow a plane down during landing. Bombardier is already a supplier to Airbus on a number of programmes and its Belfast operation has extensive nacelle experience and expertise, having accumulated more than 40 years in the design, development, manufacture and support of aircraft engine nacelles.
Stephen Addis, vice-president, customer services and programmes at Bombardier Aerostructures and Engineering Services said:
"We are delighted to have been selected as a supplier on this new nacelle, which will enable us to build on the relationship we already have with Airbus. This work package reinforces our long-term strategy to grow our capabilities in the nacelles market and to focus on delivering innovative, higher value products and services in an extremely competitive global environment.”
The new Bombardier deal with Airbus comes just six weeks after Airbus acquired a majority stake in the manufacturer's C-Series aircraft programme. Egypt Air and an unnamed European airline have also since agreed multi-billion deals for the Belfast-built C Series jets, which were hit by potentially crippling American import tariffs earlier this year.
With operations in Canada, Mexico, Morocco, the UK and USA, Bombardier Aerostructures and Engineering Services specialises in the design and manufacture of complex metallic and composite aircraft structures and system components, and provides aftermarket component repair and overhaul, as well as other engineering services.
