Bombardier has announced that it is to lay off almost 2,000 staff and cut back several aircraft programmes in response to difficult trading conditions. A total of 1,980 employees, including 20 per cent of management, will be laid off at Bombardier Aerospace facilities in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, beginning in October 2002.

In addition, Bombardier will temporarily cut back production of some of its aircraft programmes at its sites in Belfast, Montreal, Toronto and Wichita.

In Belfast, business aircraft component manufacturing will be affected. In Montreal, production of the Challenger 604 will be reduced over a four month period, while in Toronto all manufacturing work will be interrupted for six to eight weeks, beginning in late November, impacting on the Bombardier Q* Series turboprop aircraft and the Global family of business aircraft production lines. Some 1,600 employees will be affected during this period.

In Wichita, production of the Learjet 45 and Learjet 60 will be interrupted for four months begin-ning in December, affecting some 500 employees. The Bombardier Challenger 300 and Bombardier Learjet 40 development programmes and entry-into-service schedules are not impacted by these measures.