Bombardier Inc. to partner with Airbus on C Series program

TORONTO (NEWS 1130) – Canadian plane maker Bombardier announced Monday it has sold a majority stake in its C Series passenger jet business to European aerospace giant Airbus for no cost.

The move comes after lacklustre sales and after the U.S. Commerce Department imposed harsh duties on Bombardier, charging the Canadian company is selling the C Series planes in America below cost and receiving government subsidies.

The Commerce department recently announced it would impose an 80 per cent duty comes on top of duties of nearly 220 per cent. The case has been a win for US-based rival Boeing.

Boeing has said it didn’t moved early enough against Airbus subsidies in the 1970s. Airbus is now is a global giant.

The move by Bombardier could possibly circumvent duties being imposed on the C Series. The C Series headquarters will remain in the Montreal area but a second assembly line for the 100- to 150-seat plane will be set up at Airbus’ facility in Mobil, Alabama, so the plane can be sold in the United States.

Airbus Chief Executive Office Tom Enders said an aircraft produced at an US Airbus facility would not be subject to duties under the pending US investigation.

Enders said the acquisition extends the company’s product offering into the fast-growing 100-150 seat market sector. The current Airbus A320, a rival for the C Series, is for 180 passengers or more and Airbus hasn’t sold an A320 in three years.

Enders said some airlines have been reluctant to purchase Bombardier’s plane because of doubts the program would continue. It has been hurt by lacklustre sales and was bailed out by governments in Quebec and Canada.

“Some customers will be convinced it will be a great product and it is here to stay,” Enders said.

Enders said the talks started in August and were not motivated by what competitors are doing. He rejected a deal to acquire it three years ago but said circumstances have changed, saying the plane is now certified and receiving rave reviews. Airbus is not assuming any debt as part of the deal.

Bombardier Chief Alain Bellemare said having Airbus as a strategic partner “increases confidence that the aircraft is here to stay.”

He said they’ll secure more orders and double the value of the program. “By securing the US market you end up securing the program,” he said.

Airbus will acquire a 50.01 per cent interest in the C Series Aircraft Limited Partnership, which manufactures and sells the plane. Bombardier will own 31 per cent and the Quebec government’s investment agency will hold 19 per cent.

Montreal-based Bombardier had dreamed of capturing half the global market for 100-to 149-seat planes. It has marketed the plane as being 20 per cent more fuel-efficient than the comparable Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 family of aircraft.

Chicago-based Boeing’s complaint claims Bombardier’s new C Series passenger aircraft receives Canadian government subsidies that give it an advantage internationally. The Quebec government invested US$1 billion in exchange for a 49.5 per cent stake in the C Series last year. Canada’s federal government also recently provided a US$275 million loan to Bombardier, which struggled to win orders.

Bombardier won a 75-plane order for the C Series from U.S.-based Delta Air Lines in 2016. Bombardier said its planes never competed with Boeing in the sale to Delta.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said his government could stop doing business with Boeing if the US company doesn’t drop its trade complaint against Bombardier. Canada had been in talks to purchase 18 Super Hornet fighter jets from Boeing, but those have been on hold because of the Bombardier dispute.

Navdeep Bains, Canada’s minister of innovation, science and economic development, said the Airbus acquisition will be subject to Canadian government review but he sounded pleased.

“On the surface, Bombardier’s new proposed partnership with Airbus on this aircraft would help position the C Series for success by combining excellence in innovation with increased market access and an unrivalled global salesforce,” Bains said in a statement. “With this proposed partnership, Airbus would commit to making Canada its fifth home country and the first outside Europe.”