Bombardier to invest $270-million in U.S., Trump says, days after backing down on ban

U.S. President Donald Trump said late on Thursday that Bombardier was investing US$270-million in the United States, days after he dropped threats to ban the company from the country.

Trump’s September threats against Bombardier BBD-B-T became a political issue in Kansas, where it employs 1,500 people in Wichita. The threatened ban prompted calls to the White House from Kansas lawmakers, including Republican Senator Roger Marshall, who is facing a tough race in the Nov. 3 elections.

Bombardier will recruit for 500 roles across the U.S. and is planning to create an extra 300 jobs through expansion projects, the company said in a statement on Friday.

The expansion will include an initial investment of about US$270-million for infrastructure growth in the first phase, per the statement.

“Based on our constructive conversations with the U.S. administration, we see a bright path forward for our highly skilled aerospace workers as well as a positive environment for Bombardier to continue pursuing direct investments to grow our American footprint,” CEO Eric Martel said.

The hiring will be spread across Texas, Kansas, Indiana and Connecticut, the company said.

In a Truth Social post late on Thursday, Trump said Bombardier’s investment would create thousands of jobs in Kansas, Texas and Indiana, and credited Marshall along with Texas Attorney-General Ken Paxton for the deal.

Bombardier, which acquired Learjet and established its U.S. headquarters in Kansas in 1990, has 3,500 jobs in the U.S., more than 40 per cent of which are in Wichita.

At a speech in Wichita on Monday, Trump said he did not plan to hurt Bombardier and would take care of its workers.

“… now I find out they have a presence here, and we’re not hurting them if they’re in Kansas. So we’ll take care of those people and the jobs,” the president said in that speech.

In February, Trump had threatened to decertify Bombardier aircraft over a certification dispute involving rival Gulfstream Aerospace. That threat never materialized because Transport Canada ultimately approved the jets.