Canadian aerospace firm Bombardier started as a snowmobile manufacturer in 1942 before expanding to trains and aircraft, but today focuses exclusively on the design and manufacture of the Learjet, Global, and Challenger business jet families.
Read More (About Bombardier)Today, the name “Bombardier” is synonymous with business jets, but the Montreal-based company began as a snowmobile manufacturer in 1942. Founder Joseph-Armand Bombardier designed and created his first snowmobile in 1937 to help people travel the snow-covered roads of Quebec. Following the successful launch of the seven-passenger B7, the company released the 12-passenger B12 along with other snow vehicles. In 1959, the company made the first of its famous Ski-Doo models. Bombardier entered the railway business in the 1970s and began manufacturing mass transit cars in Montreal and New York City. Bombardier Transportation, which included Bombardier’s railway products, was sold to Alstom in February 2020.
The company entered the aerospace sector in 1986 after acquiring Canadair, the manufacturer of Challenger business jets, which Bombardier continues to operate. Another acquisition in 1990 brought Bombardier the Learjet line of luxury business jets, which the company still runs through its headquarters and manufacturing facilities in Wichita, Kansas, where it was established. Bombardier introduced its Global line of large, long-range business jets in the 1990s. The company launched its C-Series commercial aircraft line in 2008, sold its interest in commercial aircraft operations to Airbus and the Government of Quebec in 2020 as part of a plan to focus strictly on business jets that began in 2015.
Current Learjet models include the nine-passenger Learjet 75 Liberty, which features the segment’s first private Executive Suite. Challenger business jets, sometimes called “flying boardrooms,” include the 10-passenger 350 and 12-passenger 650 models. Global aircraft include the 5500, 6500, 7500, and 8000. At its introduction, the Global 7500 was the world’s largest and longest-range business jet, featuring a four-zone cabin with full-size kitchen, a dedicated crew suite, and space for 19 passengers; the jet has a 7,700-nautical-mile (14,250-kilometre) range at Mach 0.925.
You’ll find a large selection of new and used Bombardier business jets for sale on ControllerEMEA.co.uk, including models such as the Global 5000, Global 6000, Challenger 605, Challenger 650, Learjet 75, and Learjet 35, among many others.