Bombardier to Acquire MHICA, Internalizing Wing and Fuselage Production for Global and Challenger Jets
Why It MattersThe deal shows business-jet OEMs pulling structural production back in-house to secure supply chains, a shift that concentrates aerostructures capacity and shrinks the pool of independent suppliers manufacturers depend on.
What happened
Bombardier has announced plans to acquire MHICA, a Mississauga, Ontario-based aerostructures manufacturer, with the transaction expected to close by late 2026, subject to customary regulatory approvals.
MHICA currently produces main wings and centre fuselage structures for Bombardier's Global 5500 and Global 6500 business jets, as well as the main wing for the Challenger 3500. The acquisition will bring approximately 750 MHICA employees into Bombardier's workforce. The Mississauga site includes a 270,000-square-foot manufacturing facility and a 70,000-square-foot logistics centre.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the current owner of MHICA, has stated it remains committed to the commercial aerospace and defence sectors despite divesting its Canadian aerostructures assets.
Industry impact & what to watch
Bringing wing and centre-fuselage production in-house is a vertical-integration move: Bombardier gains direct control over structures that previously depended on an external supplier's schedule, pricing and capacity decisions. By internalizing this production, Bombardier aims to strengthen supply-chain resilience, increase operational autonomy, and improve control over critical components across its business jet programmes.
Business-jet manufacturers typically rely on a network of aerostructures partners for major assemblies, which spreads capital cost but also exposes final assembly to a partner's own disruptions. Owning the Mississauga facility and its roughly 750 workers removes that dependency for the Global 5500, Global 6500 and Challenger 3500 lines specifically.
The closing timeline, expected by late 2026 and still subject to regulatory approvals, is the next fixed point, along with how Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' stated continued commitment to commercial aerospace and defence plays out as it exits this particular Canadian asset.
