Why Bombardier's $8b Attempt to Break the Boeing/airbus Duopoly Failed
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Bombardier's $8B attempt to break the Boeing/Airbus duopoly failed due to a combination of engineering missteps, steep discounts, and unfavorable tariffs, ultimately leading to Airbus acquiring the CSeries for $1.
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Nov 13, 2025 at 2:40 AM EST
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Bombardier spent around $7–8B developing the CSeries, but a steep discount to Delta triggered a 300% U.S. tariff, killing the program. Airbus later acquired it for $1.
I wrote a breakdown of what went wrong; engineering missteps, cost overruns, government intervention, and why COMAC may be the only realistic future challenger.