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The name Bombardier Aerospace may not be one that brings a
knowledgeable nod from the masses but it is a very serious player in
the ultra competitive aviation industry, being the world’s third
largest aircraft manufacturer.
I recently drove over to their London head office, located close to
the capital’s Heathrow Airport, to find out a little more about the
phenomenal success of the company. The person I had gone to meet was
Trevor Lambarth, Sales Director of the Business Aircraft Division.
Responsible for selling Bombardier’s legendary Learjet, Challenger
and Global aircraft in the UK, Ireland, Scandinavia and Switzerland,
Trevor’s love of aviation began years ago when he joined the RAF
Volunteer Reserve at Southampton University – where he was pursuing
a Maths degree. After a spell working, among others, with British
Aerospace, Trevor joined Shorts in Belfast in 1988 selling
second-hand aircraft until the company was bought by Bombardier in
1991. (To this day, Shorts is the oldest aircraft manufacturing
company in the world, having been granted a licence to manufacture
by the pioneers of powered flight, the Wright Brothers, Orville and
Wilbur.)
Bombardier, now the only aviation company with a serious
manufacturing capability in the UK, then invited him to join their
sales team.
Trevor told me that Bombardier – the name is actually pronounced
Bombardeeay, denoting its French Canadian connection – began in the
early 1940s when the founder, Joseph Armand Bombardier, recognising
the growing need for rapid transport over the snow in the Canadian
climate, started making large ‘snowmobiles’. Since then, Bombardier
has grown to become a world leader in the design of innovative
aviation products and services for the business, regional and
amphibious aircraft markets. Since 1996, it has invested over $6
billion US in new aircraft programmes and introduced an unparalleled
fifteen new aircraft programmes in as many years – a colossal feat
for a company which only entered the aerospace sector in 1986.
It is also interesting to note that Bombardier is also a global
leader in the manufacturing and servicing of rail equipment – making
the trains for the Channel Tunnel, Virgin Rail, and the London
Underground (to name but a few).
Today the company employs some 75,000 people in 25 countries
worldwide, with over 6,000 working in Aerospace in Europe, and its
annual revenue is counted not in millions, but in billions.
Business Aircraft can broadly be defined as the operation of smaller
aeroplanes from and to smaller airfields, giving the ultimate in
convenience and comfort. The Business Aircraft Division of
Bombardier is one of the key links in the company chain, being
responsible for the manufacture and sale of the company’s Learjet,
Challenger and Global families of aircraft. The company currently
manufactures the Learjet 40 (which recently celebrated its first
European delivery), the Learjet 45, Learjet 45XR, Learjet 60,
Challenger 300, Challenger 604, Challenger 800, Global 5000, Global
Express and Global Express XRS. The Learjet range generally caters
for up to nine passengers, while the Challenger and Global models
can take up to nineteen. All offer a standard of luxury, convenience
and speed second to none. The full Bombardier range of aircraft is
available for outright purchase, for charter (through the Skyjet
programme) or for ‘block-hour leasing’ (through its Flexjet
programme). The company’s goal is to make business aviation more
accessible to a larger group of people – whether it be for a
one-time trip, for blocks of 25 hours a year or for full ownership.
Given the ever-increasing time pressures which drive today’s top
businessmen, sportsmen and entertainers, the ability to have access
to an aircraft to fly anywhere in the world at short notice is
becoming more and more important.
Imagine setting off for an important meeting in, say, Paris, by
scheduled airline. Possibly a couple of hours to travel to the
nearest airport; standing in a queue to check in at least two hours
before the flight; the likelihood of a delayed flight; waiting for
your bags once in the airport serving Paris (or trying to find out
where they are!).
Could you possibly arrive at your meeting fully alert and able to
concentrate on the matters in hand?
Compare that with the flexibility, convenience, comfort and security
offered by business jet travel. The Learjet, for example, will be
available exactly when you want it, at the airport of your choice –
business jets can access ten times more airports than commercial
airlines. You will be welcomed on board immediately and flown
directly to your destination. Upon arrival, the Customs formalities
are quickly dealt with – usually the official comes to the plane –
and you are on you way, by chauffeured car or whatever means you
choose, within minutes. You will arrive at your meeting relaxed,
alert and fully focused.
It is also true to say that, for a reasonably large family going
abroad on holiday who usually travel first class, time savings and
convenience are only some of the benefits. Once you factor in the
many other advantages of business jet travel, it becomes a viable
and attractive option.
Of course, Business Aircraft is but one division at Bombardier.
There is also a huge growth in the sale of Regional Jets – CRJs –
which are medium-sized aircraft designed to carry some 60-90
passengers on medium haul flights. Bombardier has also designed and
produced the world’s first amphibious waterbomber, which also has
the capabilities that make it ideal for maritime search and rescue
operations.
It is, of course, no secret that the aircraft industry, in common
with many others, has been going through difficult times recently.
However, Bombardier has invested, and will continue to invest, very
heavily in its future – continually developing innovative product
platforms and offering a range of services to meet varying travel
needs. The first quarter of 2004 is seeing a significant upturn in
sales and, unlike some commercial and manufacturing companies, the
future is looking very rosy indeed.
For more information on Bombardier's full range of Business Aircraft
models and services, call +44 (0) 20 8538 0204 or go online at
www.bombardier.com
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