Bombardier Scales Up U.S. Ops as Trump Reverses Ban

Bombardier today outlined plans to hire 800 more people and invest $270 million in infrastructure growth in the U.S.—including new projects in Texas and Connecticut—as President Donald Trump walked back his announced intention to ban the sale of the Canadian manufacturer’s business jets there.

During a rally for U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) on Monday, Trump told the audience that he used to view Bombardier as a Canadian company, but “now I find out they have a presence here and we’re not hurting them if they’re in Kansas.”

He later told CBS affiliate KWCH (Channel 12) in Wichita: “We’re going to take care of Bombardier, and a lot of that has to do with Roger Marshall.”

Marshall was among the Kansas lawmakers who stepped in last month after Trump threatened a ban on the sale of Bombardier jets in the U.S., saying, “I’m going to fight to keep Bombardier’s over 1,200 Kansas jobs. I’ve already taken that concern inside the Oval Office,” while also agreeing that “Bombardier is obligated to grow that footprint in Kansas again.”

Trump followed his Monday remarks with a posting on the Truth Social platform on Thursday that, “Because of [Marshall], working together with the Trump Administration, Bombardier is investing $270 million, creating thousands of American Jobs in Kansas, Texas, and Indiana.”

Bombardier is not yet detailing its newest expansion plans in Dallas and Connecticut, but both will increase its service network capacity and are among myriad projects the Montreal-headquartered company has had in the U.S. in recent years.

The company is actively recruiting for 500 positions and will hire 300 more people in the future for its expansion projects. Dallas, which will represent the “next pillar of expansion,” will account for 150 of those future jobs. In addition to Connecticut, where the company already has a service center and houses a flight demonstration team, hiring plans include its U.S. headquarters in Wichita, where it opened its North American Learning Center last week, as well as in Indiana, where it is soon opening an MRO facility.

“Our American service network is a key pillar of Bombardier’s growth strategy. This new wave of expansion and hiring reflects our long-term confidence in this market and our employees in America,” said Bombardier president and CEO Éric Martel. “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.”

Bombardier reiterated that its activities support 27,200 American jobs, with workers also in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Delaware, California, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C.