NEWS
Spanish firm ‘could buy Bombardier NI base’
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Spanish firm has emerged as a likely buyer for Bombardier’s Northern Ireland operations following the sale of its regional jet programme. Reports have suggested aircraft parts-maker Aernnova has emerged as a possible buyer for the Canadian-owned aerospace giant’s Northern Ireland arm. The aerospace group is among a number of companies to express interest in the aerostructures division, according to the Financial Times.
AUGUST 2019
Bombardier put its operations in Morocco and Northern Ireland up for sale in May. Largely based on the former Short Brothers site in Belfast, the operation also includes plants in Newtownabbey, Dunmurry and Newtownards, employing around 3,500 people. A number of firms have all been linked to the potential acquisition, including US-based Spirit Aerosystems, UK group GKN and Airbus. The Financial Times cited two sources familiar with the sale process, stating
that Aernnova had submitted an expression of interest after reviewing an offer document from Bombardier. Bombardier also announced that it had agreed a deal to sell the CRJ programme to Japanese group Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The central fuselage of the commercial aircraft series is designed and manufactured within Bombardier’s Northern Ireland operation. The company has said it’s still reviewing the impact the sale – expected to close early next year – will have on its Belfast workforce. Products for Bombardier’s commercial aircraft were worth £160m for its Northern Ireland business last year.
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