Bombardier's $22.2 Billion Backlog: Jet Buyers Keep Signing

The order book keeps getting longer. Bombardier delivered 33 business jets in the third quarter and ended September with a backlog of $22.2 billion, $4.7 billion more than at the end of 2025, the Canadian manufacturer said in its results on Thursday, 5 November. Revenue rose 3 percent to about $2.4 billion.

The key figure is the unit book-to-bill of 1.7: for every jet handed over, buyers ordered more than one and a half new ones. In the second quarter, AIN reported, Bombardier delivered 32 jets, 18 Globals and 14 Challengers, with a backlog of $21.8 billion and a book-to-bill of 1.5.

The quarter in numbers

• 33 deliveries in Q3; 157 in all of 2025.
• $701 million of services revenue, up 19 percent: a record, and the first quarter above $700 million.
• Adjusted EBITDA of $382 million, up 7 percent, a 16.1 percent margin.
• $183 million of free cash flow, up 20 percent; adjusted net income up 41 percent to $182 million.

More cash, same number of jets

Bombardier raised its 2026 free cash flow guidance for the second time this year, to more than $1.3 billion from more than $1.0 billion. Everything else held: more than 157 deliveries, more than $10 billion of revenue and more than $1.625 billion of adjusted EBITDA. The UBJ notes that the quarter's cash flow beat analysts' expectations of about $159.5 million.

"We are entering the final stretch of 2026 with a healthy backlog, strong demand and solid visibility," said president and chief executive Éric Martel. The company will host an investor day on 18 February 2027. It also pointed to defence: NATO and the Canadian government have both selected Saab's GlobalEye surveillance solution, which could help Bombardier's pipeline through its partnership with Saab.

In business aviation the backlog is the waiting room: the longer it grows, the more a delivery slot is worth.

What it means for flyers

Two signals matter. First, a backlog growing faster than deliveries means waits for new aircraft stay long, which tends to support pre-owned values and keeps charter, jet cards and fractional shares in play for people who need to fly now. Second, services are the fastest-growing part of the business: owners are spending more to keep existing jets flying. Bombardier has 10 service centres in six countries and has topped AIN's product support survey in 2024, 2025 and 2026.

Weighing a purchase, a share or a card? Ask for delivery slots in writing, compare maintenance programmes and talk to an independent adviser. This is editorial analysis, not investment advice.