Aircraft manufacturers

We all know Airbus and Boeing, two of the main aeronautical manufacturers of the planet of which we have spoken in previous articles, with important commercial and military divisions. But there are also other companies that manufacture commercial airplanes that, although many of you know them, are also very important in the world of aviation.

Bombardier

Bombardier is a Canadian company with its headquarters in Dorval, Quebec. It is the only manufacturer in the world dedicated to the design and manufacture of aircraft and trains. Its Aerospace division employs more than 37,700 people and has been designing, manufacturing and offering support for a wide range of aviation products in the business, regional and international segments since 1986. Unfortunately, the popular seaplanes against fires that we see every summer operating in the forest are manufactured by the Canadian company.

Bombardier Aerospace is the third largest company in the world in terms of business volume, after Boeing and Airbus, and the fourth largest in terms of aircraft units produced annually, after Boeing, Airbus and the Brazilian company Embraer, which we will talk about next. Its main market is focused on executive aviation, with leading business models in the sector such as Global and Challenger in their different versions, or the arrival and arrival of Learjet.

In the commercial aviation market, Bombardier stands out in the regional aviation segment with its Dash-8 turbocharger, as well as with the CRJ100 / 200/440 and CRJ700 / 900/1000 models.

In the middle of 2019, the Canadian company will announce that it will transfer the CRJ unit to Mitsubishi, in an operation valued at 483 million euros. However, Bombardier has continued to take delivery of the 50 committed CRJ aircraft. As of 2021, the know-how, the personnel and the plants in Belfast and Morocco will be handed over to the Japanese.

In addition, Bombardier will sell 50.01% of its subsidiary C Sèries Aircraft Limited Partnership to Airbus, which manufactures the CS100 and CS300 planes, which will be part of the Airbus model portfolio of the A220-100 and A220-300 rebates, and which are being sold at a high rate.

In the future, Bombardier intends to dedicate itself solely to the manufacture of trains and corporate jets.

Embraer

Embraer (Empresa Brasileira de Aeronáutica) is a Brazilian aeronautical factory, founded in 1969. The company produces commercial, military and executive aircraft. It ranks third among aeronautical factories in terms of the number of employees and the number of annual aircraft deliveries, behind Boeing and Airbus.

The company is headquartered in São Paulo, along with its main plant and design and engineering center. Embraer has another plant, also in the state of São Paulo, where the most important components are manufactured and flight tests are controlled. It should be noted that this facility has a 5.000 meters long runway, making it the third longest runway in the world.

Embraer has commercial and maintenance delegations in the United States, in Portugal, as well as commercial offices in France, Singapore and China.

In early 2000 it launched the E-Jets program, with aircraft from 70 to 130 passengers, in direct competition with the products of the Canadian Bombardier.

It also sought new horizons for its internationalization, with the opening of factories in China and the United States.

Since July 2019, Embraer has been called Boeing Brasil – Commercial. The North American giant acquired 80% of the commercial division on that date, and in its hands is the development of the E2 generation E-Jets, headed by the E190 E-2, which will directly compete with the A220 that Airbus markets after absorbing Bombardier.

The main operators of the E190 are JetBlue, Hainan Airlines, Aeroméxico, Air Canada, Azul and Lufthansa.

ATR

ATR (Avions de Transport Régional in French or Aerei da Trasporto Regionale in Italian) is a French-Italian aircraft manufacturer based on the grounds of Toulouse-Blagnac International Airport in France. The company was formed in 1981 through the merger of Aérospatiale of France (now Airbus Group) and Aeritalia (now Leonardo) of Italy.

The ATR family was designed from a high-wing twin turboprop aircraft, taking into account that it should be efficient, have operational flexibility, achieve maximum passenger comfort and economy. These qualities make it ideal for short routes between small and medium sized cities and to operate in regional airports.

Its main products are the ATR 42 and ATR 72. The numbering that follows the model indicates the number of seats that in standard configuration in single class the aircraft offers (42 or 72), although it can vary between 40/50 and 70/78 (in the 600 version) seats respectively.

The manufacturing facilities in Italy, are responsible for producing the fuselage and tail section, while the wings are built in France. Final assembly, flight testing, certification and distribution are the responsibility of ATR in Toulouse, France.

Some of its customers are Air New Zealand, Japan Airlines, Cebu Pacific, Braathens, or Air Nostrum and Iberia Express in Spain.

Last year 2019 ATR delivered 68 aircraft compared to 76 a year before. Sales in 2019, on the other hand, were better in 2019 than in 2018: 79 aircraft compared to 52.