In the first concrete sign of a turnaround for bizjet maker Bombardier, the Montreal-based company said it delivered 163 airplanes in last year’s 11-month fiscal period, a slight increase from the year before, while also booking orders for 191 new airplanes – almost double the figure recorded in 2010.
Last year’s improved performance was still somewhat lower than Bombardier’s record deliveries in 2008 of 239 business jets, although it should be noted that the Canadian company’s fiscal year in 2011 was only 11 months long after the reporting period’s end point was adjusted from Jan. 31 to Dec. 31.