Bombardier to lower CRJ production

Bombardier said "current market demand" drove its decision to cut CRJ production rates starting in January, an acknowledgement of slowing regional jet sales.

The Canadian manufacturer said it is still on track to deliver 90 commercial aircraft (a mix of CRJs and Q400s) this year and emphasized that the production cut will not necessitate any layoffs, only transfers of personnel. Bombardier delivered 97 commercial aircraft, including the first nine CRJ1000s, during its fiscal year ended Jan. 31. That represented a 19.8% decrease from 121 commercial units delivered in the prior fiscal year.

Regarding the CRJ production cut, Bombardier Aerospace president and COO Guy Hachey said in a statement, "Although several sales campaigns for our CRJ aircraft are making progress and the long-term prospects for the CRJ program remain positive, the reduced pace of orders has made a review of our production plans necessary. For these reasons and after careful consideration, a CRJ aircraft production decrease is warranted in the short term."