A220 aircraft. Source | SAERTEX

Bombardier Belfast and textiles manufacturer SAERTEX (Saerbeck, Germany) have reached an agreement to contractually extend their cooperation on the manufacture of carbon fiber noncrimp fabric wingskin components for the Airbus A220 aircraft.

SAERTEX supplies textile reinforcement materials and carbon fiber noncrimp fabrics, with which Bombardier produces wingskins for the A220 aircraft using its resin transfer infusion (RTI) manufacturing process. According to SAERTEX, its noncrimp fabrics developed especially for Bombardier facilitate the application of the RTI technology and result in significant weight savings and fuel efficiency for the aircraft.

“The aerospace sector is a key strategic pillar among the SAERTEX business segments. We consider the contract extension as a confirmation of the work we have performed to date and we would like to thank our customer Bombardier for the trust they have placed in us,” says Christoph Geyer, CEO of SAERTEX.

The wings of the A220 are built by Bombardier at the company’s Belfast plant in Northern Ireland. Spirit AeroSystems (Wichita, Kan., U.S.) has entered into an agreement as of October 2019 to acquire Bombardier’s aerostructures and aftermarket activities in Belfast, Casablanca and Dallas. The transaction is expected to complete in the first half of 2020 and remains subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.

As of an announcement made on Feb. 13, 2020, Airbus SE (Toulouse, France) and the Government of Que?bec, Canada have become the sole owners of the A220 program as Bombardier makes its exit from the commercial aircraft manufacturing business.