Bombardier Considers Local Plant

The St. Petersburg Times

Published: November 7, 2012 (Issue # 1734)

wikimedia commons The Canadian aerospace firm’s Q-400 turboprop could become the first foreign aircraft assembled in Russia.

MOSCOW — Canadian plane builder Bombardier may become the first foreign aerospace firm to commercially assemble aircraft in Russia.

Executives from the Canadian firm have discussed plans to start building its Q-400 turboprop aircraft with officials at the Industry and Trade Ministry.

The plans being considered would see the aircraft being built at the Aviakor aviation plant in Samara, part of Oleg Deripaska’s Russian Machines corporation, Vedomosti reported.

“Discussion is not only about assembly, but also production of several components for Bombardier’s global market,” Deputy Industry and Trade Minister Yury Slyusar told the paper.

The 78-seat, twin-engine Q-400 has a range of 2,500 kilometers and carries a price tag of $27 million.

President Vladimir Putin has ordered the Transportation Ministry to make a priority of boosting inter-regional air travel, the sector that the Q-400 is designed to serve.

U.S. aerospace giant Boeing already produces numerous components for its jets in Russia, including specialized parts for its 787 Dreamliner, but Bombardier would be the first foreign plane builder to carry out the full aircraft assembly process in the country if the deal goes through.

Bombardier’s official representative in Russia could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Vedomosti cited a source close to the project saying that the government has a keen interest in the deal and that financing could come from state-owned VEB investment bank.

The Canadian engineering firm and Yekaterinburg-based Uralvagonzavod are preparing a joint bid for a tender to build new metro cars for the Moscow metro.