Bombardier Belfast and textile maker SATEX (Saerbeck, Germany) have reached an agreement to expand the partnership in the form of a contract to produce carbon fiber wrinkle-free aircraft wings for Airbus A220 aircraft.
SAERTEX supplies fabric reinforcements and carbon fiber wrinkle-free fabrics, and Bombardier uses its resin transfer infusion (RTI) manufacturing process to produce wings for the A220 aircraft. According to SAERTEX, its non-crimped fabric, developed specifically for Bombardier, facilitates the application of RTI technology and significantly reduces the weight and fuel efficiency of aircraft.
"The aerospace sector is a key strategic pillar of SAERTEX's business unit. We believe that extending the contract is an acknowledgement of what we have done so far, and we want to thank our customer Bombardier for the trust they have placed in us," said Christoph Geyer, CEO of SAERTEX.
The A220's wings are manufactured at Bombardier's Belfast plant in Northern Ireland. As of October 2019, Spirit AeroSystems (Wittata, Kansas, USA) has reached an agreement to acquire Bombardier's aircraft structure and aftermarket operations in Belfast, Casablanca and Dallas. The transaction is expected to be completed in the first half of 2020 and will still require regulatory approval and customary closing conditions.
As of the announcement on February 13, 2020, as Bombardier withdrew from the commercial aircraft manufacturing business, Airbus (Toulouse, France) and the Government of Quebec, Canada, have become sole owners of the A220 program.