Bombardier chief announces plans for aviation jobs in Kansas
January 12, 2012, 06:49 pm
Bombardier Aerospace recently announced it will expand its Learjet site in Wichita, Kansas, resulting in 450 new jobs for the city, which experienced a setback after Boeing announced it would close its defense plant there. This is the second expansion for the Learjet plant in two years.
"There are eight cities in the world that can really build an airplane - and this is one of the big ones," said Steve Ridolfi, president of Bombardier Business Air.
Wichita, self-proclaimed air capital of the world, is already the location of manufacturing plants for Cessna Aircraft, Bombardier Aerospace, Hawker Beechcraft, The Boeing Co. and Spirit AeroSystems, along with many smaller aircraft parts suppliers. The company plans to expand its Flight Test Center, facilities for paint and production and a delivery center, The Associated Press reported.
The latest news of expansion is part of a $600 million investment by Bombardier to develop the jet and grow in Wichita. The plan follows a $27 million package from 2010 for the Learjet initiative promising to build the project in Kansas. The Learjet project started in 2007, and the eight-passenger composite jet is scheduled to take its first flight in 2012. Unfortunately, that date may be delayed as the company experienced a set back in 2009 after the economy slowed, losing more than 800 jobs at the plant, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association reported.
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