Learjet 85

Bombardier has put its Learjet 85 business aircraft development programme on hold, placing 1,000 jobs at risk in Mexico and the US.

The company’s plan to suspend the programme is in response to a weak demand for the Learjet business jet.

Consequently, Bombardier will record a pre-tax special charge of around $1.4bn related to impairment of the Learjet 85 development costs in the fourth quarter of 2014.

Bombardier president and CEO Pierre Beaudoin said: "Given the weakness of the market, we made the difficult decision to pause the Learjet 85 programme at this time.

"We will focus our resources on our two other clean-sheet aircraft programmes under development, CSeries and Global 7000/8000, for which we see tremendous market potential."

"Given the weakness of the market, we made the difficult decision to pause the Learjet 85 programme at this time."

Bombardier’s Wichita facility manages final assembly for the Learjet 70 and Learjet 75 aircraft, and features a flight test centre and a service centre.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

The Querétaro plant produces components for the Global 7000/8000 aircraft.

Bombardier Aerospace’s earnings before financing expenses, financing income and income taxes are expected to be 4% of the unit’s revenues in 2014, compared with a previous guidance of 5%.

The company expects cash-flow from its aerospace operations of around $800m, compared with previous guidance of between $1.2bn and $1.6bn.

The latest news comes at the time when Bombardier is working to put its CSeries aircraft into service this year.

The CSeries is undergoing flight tests, which were halted last year due to a major failure in one of the engines.

Image: Bombardier has suspended the Learjet 85 programme due to a weak demand for the business jet. Photo: courtesy of Bombardier.