Another article indicated the the proposed site in Albuquerque is at the GA airport, Double Eagle II Airport, not at the main Albuquerque International Sunport/Kirtland Air Force Base. SOURCE: CBC News http://www.cbc.ca/cp/business/050126/b0126136.html New Mexico chosen as only U.S. state to bid on assembly for Bombardier jet ALLAN SWIFT MONTREAL (CP) - Bombardier Aerospace has selected New Mexico as the only U.S. state able to bid for the location of an assembly plant for a proposed new regional jet. The southwestern U.S. state will have to compete against Ontario, Quebec and Northern Ireland for the chance to get the assembly plant, which is expected to provide 2,500 well-paying jobs. Bombardier spokesman John Paul Macdonald confirmed Wednesday that the state has put forward enough incentives to get the nod from the Montreal-based aircraft maker, a division of transportation and aerospace giant Bombardier Inc. "They're the only U.S. state that has made it through the whole process and that we'll be considering," Macdonald said, while cautioning that it is just one of four possible locations for the proposed new plant. The other sites already have Bombardier assembly plants: Toronto, Montreal and Belfast. "We're still in negotiations with them as well as the Ontario and Quebec and the federal governments, and also the UK government," Macdonald said. State and city officials have already picked out an industrial site next to the Albuquerque airport, but they will not reveal how much they're offering Bombardier in subsidies. Pahl Shipley, spokesman for Gov. Bill Richardson, said the governor first met with Bombardier officials at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January, 2003. "The state is very aggressive and very positive about wanting this business," Shipley said, noting that technology giant Intel built a chip factory at Albuquerque recently employing between 5,000 and 6,000 people. The state will also be the site of an assembly plant for a new business jet built by Eclipse Aviation. "Gov. Richardson has been very aggressive in hanging out the shingle that New Mexico is open for business." Macdonald said the Bombardier site should be chosen by March. Bombardier, third-largest aircraft manufacturer in the world, expects to put up one-third of the required $2 billion US cost of developing the C Series aircraft, excluding engines. It will seat 110 to 130 passengers in two sizes. A third of the cost would be provided by governments, and one-third by outside suppliers of parts and components. Jean Lapierre, federal transport minister, has promised that the federal government will do what it takes to ensure the assembly plant will be built in Canada. Bombardier (TSX:BBD.SV.B) has had to cut thousands of jobs during the last year from its aerospace and rail transportation divisions to compensate for financial losses and declining regional jet orders. In trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange on Wednesday, Bombardier shares rose 14 cents to $2.37, a gain of more than six per cent, in trading of more than 9.4 million shares.