WICHITA, Kans. (KSN) -- Hundreds of jobs, and a deal that ends an apparent threat for Bombardier Learjet to leave Wichita. That's what the company, and Governor Mark Parkinson, announced to the public in front of hundreds of Learjet employees Friday. Parkinson said the state beat out rivals, mainly from the Southeast.
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Today is a great day because they lost, and we won. Learjet is here to stay," the governor said.
But it will cost Kansas $27 million dollars in bonds to get Barbardier to bring final assembly of the Learjet 85 to Wichita. Without the incentives Parkinson says the work would have gone elsewhere, along with all of Bombardier Learjet's Wichita operations.
"That just helped us solidify our location here, and really allowed us to not have to go much farther than Kansas and ultimately Wichita," said David Coleal, V.P. and GM of Bombardier Learjet in Wichita.
For its money, the state is ensured that the final assembly plant will bring 300 new jobs, and economic development that comes with building a $600 million dollar expansion at Bombardier's west Wichita facility. The plan calls for 150,000 square feet of space built in four phases. Among the additions: a paint facility, customer delivery center, production flight test facility and expanded production hangars.
Under the $27 million dollar bond deal, Bombardier is bound to keep its full operations in Wichita for the life of the bonds. A state Commerce Department official told KSN News that's "likely to be between five and ten years, probably seven."
With the Learjet deal done, Parkinson said he's turning his attention to Hawker Beechcraft, which made it clear it's looking at other locations for much of its work.
"We can't lose that manufacturer here," Parkinson said, "So we're going to fight just as hard to retain Hawker Beechcraft as we did to retain Learjet."
