Bombardier Plans to Expand Belfast Manufacturing Facility
Bombardier has submitted a planning application to Belfast City Council to add another 333,000 sq ft to its 565,000 sq ft facility next to Belfast City Airport. CIS Ireland has valued the expansion project at around £24m. The move comes following the planned sale of Bombardier’s aerostructures business to Spirit AeroSystems Holding, Inc. which will be completed in early 2020. Spirit will continue to supply structural aircraft components and spare parts to support the production and in-service fleet of Bombardier Aviation’s Learjet, Challenger and Global families of aircraft.
Bombardier employs 3,600 people including 1,000 working on the A220 programme which was known as the C Series before Airbus took a majority stake in July 2018. An additional 2,000 jobs are linked to the supply chain. The Belfast site manufactures the wings and fuselage components of the single-aisle aircraft, a segment which has seen increased demand in recent years.
Following the submission, Bombardier said: “The extension design is largely driven by the spatial requirements of the processes which would be carried out within the building, such as large open spans and clear heights for lifting and manoeuvring the products and tools within the building.”
“Extensions to the existing wing manufacturing and assembly facility are required to provide additional production capacity to meet growing customer demand.
“Construction would be expected to commence on site as soon as possible following the determination of the application.
“The project would facilitate the evolving needs of the company’s manufacturing operation and represents a significant investment in aerospace manufacturing in Belfast.”
About the Author
Mark Dwyer Mark is an airline pilot by profession flying the Boeing 737 for a major European airline. In addition he is also a Type Rating Instructor on the B737. Outside of commercial flying Mark enjoys flying light aircraft from the smallest 3 Axis microlights up to heavier singles. He also instructs on them including tailwheel differences training and is a UK CAA Examiner. He also flies the Chipmunk for the Irish Historic Flight Foundation (IHFF). Mark became the Chairman of the National Microlight Association of Ireland (NMAI) in 2013 and has overseen a massive growth in the organisation. In this role he has worked at local and national levels. In 2015, Mark won ‘Upcoming Aviation Professional Award’ at the Aviation Industry Awards sponsored by the IAA. Mark launched this website back in 2002 while always managing the website, he has also been Editor and Deputy Editor of FlyingInIreland Magazine from 2005 to 2015.
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