Bombardier fights back

How can Bombardier, plane manufacturer and Northern Ireland's biggest employer, fight back against a new tariff of 300% being imposed on its exports to the US? Calling in the strategic and financial muscle of a much bigger firm might help, hence the tie-up with Airbus announced last night. Airbus has a factory in the US which could be used to assemble the planes, and the BBC's Northern Ireland business correspondent reports thatthe hope is that, by assembling the C-Series there, it will be able to sell them to US customers without facing tariffs.

The report, linked above, analyses this proposal and also has a video explaining the history of Bombardier in Northern Ireland, where the wings for the C-Series are made. The video also gives some data behind the accusation by Boeing that Bombardier was selling its jets below cost price after taking state subsidies from Canada and the UK.