Last Downsview Global 7500 Rolls Off Line

Bombardier has manufactured Globals in Downsview since the mid-1990s. The final Downsview-produced Bombardier Global 7500 completes assembly, marking the end of an era for the iconic aircraft line. This milestone signifies the transition to Mirabel manufacturing and consolidates Bombardier's aerospace operations. It reflects industry shifts and strategic decisions aimed at optimizing production efficiency and streamlining manufacturing processes.

Bombardier has rolled out the final Global 7500 produced in Downsview, Ontario, ending an era for the Montreal-headquartered manufacturer at the assembly facilities it inherited with its 1992 acquisition of de Havilland from Boeing.

A spokesman confirmed that the “last fly away was this past weekend” and that there was no more aircraft production activity at the Downsview site, marking the full transition to its new Global jet facility at Toronto Pearson International Airport. The final copy left the facility on March 23.

Bombardier is planning a formal inauguration of its $400 million, 770,000-sq-ft factory at Pearson on May 1 in concert with its Investor Day.

The final Global 7500 Downsview departure marks a significant milestone for the transition to the new factory that has been methodically ongoing for months. 

Bombardier announced in 2018 that it planned to build a facility at Pearson and transfer Global production there, noting that the modern plant would reduce energy consumption by almost 60 percent and help consolidate its industrial footprint.

While the site originally housed the production of the de Havilland regional turboprops, Bombardier has produced Global business jets in Downsview, celebrating the rollout of the original Global Express in 1996 with much fanfare. The Global 7500 was added to the lines some two decades later.

Production on the Global 5500 and 6500, along with the 7500, is now in full swing at Pearson. As part of the transition, the first 6500 left the final assembly building at Pearson on February 6, and the first Global 7500 finished assembly there on March 1 for initial testing.

While product transfer is ongoing, the Global 7500—which has a top speed of Mach 0.925 and  7,700-nm range—continues to rack up speed records, now topping 30. The latest round included record-setting flights from Farnborough to Muharraq and Phoenix to Paris on February 28 and March 6, respectively.

Charter company Catreus established the Global 7500 record from Farnborough to Muharraq, while charter firm Phenix Jet Cayman flew the record-setting route from Phoenix to Paris. The records are pending approval by the FAI, the World Air Sports Federation.

Entering service in late 2018, the Global 7500 fleet has grown to more than 165 and amassed 100,000 flying hours.

Source: AIN - Aviation International News