On a visit to Belfast, Northern Ireland, the British Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that the U.K. government is to provide Bombardier with £12 million (US$15.7 million) in funding for the development of a thrust reverser for the new Airbus A320 NEO nacelle.
Visiting Bombardier’s production line in Belfast, the Chancellor commented: “We are backing Bombardier with £12m of new money to help develop cutting edge technology – here in Northern Ireland – for modern aircraft,” adding: “This will help to secure jobs for Northern Ireland’s economy and cement the U.K.’s role as a leading manufacturer of hi-tech aircraft components.” He also welcomed the new orders for 60 A220s which was announced at the Farnborough International Airshow last week.
The Bombardier plant in Belfast is responsible for the manufacture of the wings for the A220, which was originally the Bombardier CSeries jet prior to Airbus’ investment in the program.
The news of the government funding is the second boost the Belfast plant has received this year. Until recently it was threatened with closure after Boeing launched a complaint against Bombardier over what was suspected to be a ‘dumping’ exercise when Delta Airlines acquired CSeries jets from the Canadian plane manufacturer at below cost price.
The US Department of Commerce recommended a near 300% punitive duty on sales of the jets for five years, putting around 1,000 jobs in Belfast at risk, but the International Trade Commission (ITC) in the U.S. ruled against Boeing and in favor of Bombardier in January.
