Bombardier Sees Revenue Jump, More Tariff Certainty

Bombardier revenues in the first quarter jumped by 19% year over year, to $1.5 billion, with a three-aircraft increase in deliveries and continued gains in the services side, the Montreal manufacturer reported this morning. The company also released its full-year guidance—postponed from earlier this year given the uncertainties surrounding tariffs—forecasting that it would deliver 150 aircraft and bring in $9.25 billion in revenues in 2025.

In the first quarter, Bombardier delivered 23 aircraft, including 12 Challengers and 11 Globals. This reflects increases in the Global family, as company executives had anticipated, compared with 12 Challengers and eight Globals in the first quarter last year.

As for the guidance, Bombardier president and CEO Éric Martel told analysts that the company has more certainty surrounding tariffs, particularly with the decision to continue the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) exemption surrounding aircraft. 

"Since February, we have gained a lot more clarity on potential tariff mechanics. We also took the time to complete multiple deep dives throughout our business,” Martel said. “It's important to note that despite being in a more volatile environment, we continue to see order activity, and we have not seen any cancellations.”

This comes as the manufacturer faced a stumble in the market in March as buyers reacted to the uncertainty surrounding tariffs and the global economy, Martel said, noting there were about three weeks where there was a hesitation in sales activity.

“We have a number of order discussions stalled around the March time frame. We saw a similar trend during the 2023 banking crisis,” he said. “Uncertainty caused a short speed bump as everyone involved in transactions slowed down a bit to reassess the situation. As things progress today, we are seeing much better traction and activity.”

He characterized sales activity as more normal now, but also noted that global geopolitical tensions are driving more interest in its defense business. This is particularly true in Europe, he said, adding that there may be a desire to become less reliant on U.S. products.

Bombardier has received some inquiries from companies hesitant to buy in the U.S., Martel said, but cautioned that Bombardier has as much content from the U.S. as most other aircraft, including those built in the U.S.

The company ended the quarter with a book-to-bill of 1:0.9, just shy of the 1:1 target, and a backlog of $14.2 billion, down from $14.4 billion at the end of 2024.

Its 2025 guidance for 150 aircraft, which would be up slightly from the 146 delivered last year, is about where the company had anticipated it would remain over multiple years in a drive toward stability in production. Also, Martel noted the guidance reflected the impact from the tariffs on aluminum and steel, as well as reciprocal tariffs on non-USMCA-compliant materials.

Even so, with continued growth in services, strong demand continuing, and heightened interest on the defense side, Bombardier is projecting revenues will be $580 million higher versus 2024 and adjusted EBIDTA growth from $1.36 billion to about $1.55 billion this year.

As far as first-quarter results, Bombardier reported a 21% gain in adjusted EBITDA, to $248 million, and a net income of $44 million, with an adjusted net income of $68 million. While net income from continuing operations was down from $110 million in first-quarter 2024, adjusted net income represented a 55% increase from a year earlier. Helping improve performance was an $18 million gain in revenues, to $495 million, in the quarter.