Bombardier and Comac may be laying the foundation for a third force in commercial aircraft manufacturing with a framework agreement under which they will coordinate their respective CSeries and C919 designs to create a series of interoperable airliners. The intended long-term cooperative relationship would give sales support to Comac, Chinese market access to Bombardier, and the synergies of a broader product offering to both.

No aerospace suppliers to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries have reported production difficulties from either earthquake damage or a shortage of electricity, a spokesman for the company says. Mitsubishi, itself located far from the epicenter of the March 11 earthquake and knocked-out power stations, has also had no trouble as a result of damage or electricity stoppages, the spokesman says.

The leasing arm of Agricultural Bank of China will finance Embraer aircraft under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that could make $1.5 billion available to operators over the next five years. “The agreement is designed to create new financing opportunities for Embraer to sell aircraft in China and other markets, with a focus on the development of China’s regional, executive and agricultural aviation,” says Embraer. The leasing company is called ABC Financial Leasing. Its parent is one of China’s largest banks.