BIG LAYOFFS AT BOMBARDIER AS LEARJET 85 PROGRAM HALTED

摘要

Following a series of delays, Bombardier halted the midsize Learjet 85's development program citing weak business jet demand in the segment. The Canadian plane maker also announced it will lay off about 1,000 employees this year at its sites in Queretaro, Mexico, and Wichita, Kansas. The Learjet 85 is the first all-composite business jet from Bombardier, and it was to become the new flagship of the Learjet division in Wichita. Much of the composite fabrication work for the airplane is carried out in Mexico, with final assembly originally scheduled to take place in Kansas. Learjet engineers and test pilots had been preparing to fly the first Model 85 prototype before Bombardier called a stop-work order on the program in mid-January. The company, however, left open the door that development could resume when market conditions improve.