Bombardier will be in rarified air should the proposed sale of its train business to Saint-Ouen, France-based Alstom close in the first half of 2021. The memorandum of understanding between the two companies, announced February 17 in conjunction with Bombardier's full-year 2019 financial results, would leave Bombardier as a standalone business jet manufacturer with more than 18,000 employees and a $14.4 billion backlog. Unlike competitors including Dassault, Embraer (for now), Gulfstream, and Textron Aviation that have parent companies with business in the commercial aviation, defense, and helicopter sectors, the Montreal-based airframer would be in the unique position as a pure-play business jet OEM. For business jet manufacturers, it's a business model that has yet to be tested—analysts noted—in terms of the ability to develop new products, including clean-sheet jets, as well as to withstand a downturn in the market.
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