Airbus to acquire a majority shareholding in C Series Aircraft Limited Partnership

Union assured deal will guarantee jobs in C Series production in Northern Ireland

October 17th: Davy Thompson, Unite Regional Coordinating Officer, welcomed news that Bombardier had agreed a deal with Airbus in regard to the ownership of the C Series aircraft:

“Under this deal, Airbus will acquire a majority shareholding in Bombardier’s C Series Aircraft Limited Partnership, the entity that manufacturers and sells the C Series. We have received assurances that this will mean that employment associated with the manufacture of C Series wings will remain in Northern Ireland.

“This deal, which will see Airbus take on responsibility for procurement, sales and marketing and customer support expertise has the potential to open the door to new markets and ensure long-term sustainability of C Series production, despite the ongoing difficulties experienced with onerous tariffs being imposed on the company by a protectionist United States.

“The agreement will allow Bombardier to leverage Airbus’ global scale and reach, and open access to their supply-chain.

“Unite will continue our efforts to ensure the withdrawal of the US tariffs on the C Series but this is a welcome development – one that gives ‘breathing space’ to the C Series itself and which we anticipate should safeguard the future of C Series production jobs in Northern Ireland for the foreseeable future.

“While we welcome this announcement in regard to the C Series, there are continued challenges associated with employment on other Bombardier contracts in Northern Ireland, we will be engaging with management and our membership to safeguard all workers’ interests in the coming period”, Mr Thompson concluded.

For further information or an interview contact Davy Thompson, Unite Regional Coordinating Officer, tel. 07979 244952; or Donal O’Cofaigh, Unite Campaigns & Communications, tel. 07810 157926.