Bombardier, the Canada-based company that is credited with creating both the regional jet and its possible successor, has bowed out of the airplane-building business, selling its remaining operations to others.
The CRJ series of Canadair regional jets which revolutionized regional aviation in the U.S. and elsewhere has been sold to Mitsubishi, which will continue to build current orders but is most interested in building and selling its new ‘Space Jet’ models into the same market segment.
Bombardier had previously sold Airbus just over half of the division that developed the CSeries small-to-mid size jets that are now a big seller for the bigger company; Airbus has the right to buy the rest, and has indicated it will.
And Bombardier has sold its turboprop operations, which built the Q400 models that had previously been known as the De Havilland Dash 8. The new owners, Longview Aviation Capital, have revived the De Havilland name and model names.
Bombardier has struggled for years to make money in the aircraft market; it will now concentrate on its strengths in railcar and bus manufacture.
