Bombardier’s CSeries wing plant under way in Belfast

Michael Ryan, vice-president and general manager of Bombardier Aerospace, Belfast, and Northern Ireland Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster lay a special corner stone to mark the construction of the CSeries wing plant in Belfast.

Photo: Bombardier Aerospace

BELFAST: Bombardier Aerospace began construction of its new state-of-the-art aircraft wing manufacturing and assembly facility in Belfast, Northern Ireland this week.

“This is another significant milestone in the ongoing development of the CSeries aircraft program. In August, the test fuselage barrel arrived ahead of schedule at our St-Laurent, Quebec site, from China, and in September we celebrated the groundbreaking of our first CSeries aircraft manufacturing building in Mirabel, Quebec. The CSeries p://www.bombardier.com/en/aerospace/products/commercial-aircraft/cseries?docID=0901260d800091e6aircraft programme is progressing well and to schedule, and we look forward to receiving the first test wing from Belfast in 2011,” said Guy Hachey, president and COO of the Montreal-based aerospace company.

The new 600,000 square-foot factory will be built in two phases and will incorporate an existing production building.

Bombardier said the design and layout are being optimised both for the production process and to minimize environmental impact. The structure will ensure maximum energy efficiency and incorporate low energy solutions into its mechanical and electrical infrastructure. Waste management was also a key consideration with a particular focus being given to waste segregation and recycling.

Bombardier Belfast has successfully assembled a pre-production demonstrator wing using its innovative Resin Transfer Infusion advanced composites process, and is on track to begin testing this in early 2010. Testing will be undertaken in a specialized test rig where hydraulic jacks will be used to induce bending and twisting into the wing structure, replicating every possible combination of severe loading that the wing may experience in service.

Almost 400 engineering and support staff in Belfast are currently engaged in the research and development of the wings. Some 800 jobs will be generated during full production, as well as many more in the wider supply chain. In addition, around 450 construction personnel are involved in this first phase of the building project.

So far, Bombardier has orders for 50 CS100 and CS300 aircraft from Deutsche Lufthansa AG and Lease Corporation International Group. The 100 to 145-seat CSeries aircraft, 70% of which consist of advanced materials, use 20% less fuel while reducing carbon dioxide by 20% and nitrogen oxide by 40 per cent.

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