Bombardier raises 2026 free cash flow forecast on strong private jet demand

MONTREAL, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Bombardier on Thursday reported a 3% rise in quarterly revenue, lifted by record aftermarket sales, as sustained demand for private flying prompted the Canadian business jet maker to raise its 2026 free cash flow forecast.

Growing demand for charter and fractional ownership, boosted by IPO-rich tech investors entering the market, has helped underpin demand for private jets, despite economic uncertainty, geopolitical volatility and soaring jet fuel prices.

Montreal-based Bombardier, which makes a special-mission version of its large-cabin Global jets with Swedish partner SAAB, has also benefited from higher defense spending in Canada and Europe.

Bombardier raised its 2026 free cash flow forecast to more than $1.3 billion and reiterated plans to deliver more than 157 aircraft this year.

Free cash flow, a closely watched measure of financial health, rose 20% from a year earlier to $183 million in the third quarter. Analysts estimated the company's free cash flow at $159.5 million, according to data compiled by LSEG.

Revenue rose 3% to $2.37 billion even as the planemaker delivered one fewer jet than a year earlier. Bombardier delivered 33 aircraft during the quarter, while services revenue jumped 19% to $701 million, underscoring the strength of its aftermarket business. Analysts had estimated revenue of $2.38 billion.

On an adjusted basis, quarterly profits came in at $1.72 per share, compared with analysts' estimates of $1.73 per share.

The company said it would hold an in-person investor day on Feb. 18, 2027.

Bombardier has been expanding its aftermarket network in the United States, the world's largest private aviation market, but faced trade tensions during the quarter after President Donald Trump threatened to ban its aircraft from the country.

Trump dropped the threat ahead of Tuesday's midterm elections, citing Bombardier's US workforce, including more than 1,500 employees at a factory in Kansas. Voters in the traditionally Republican-leaning state elected its first Democrat to the US Senate in nearly a century.

(Reporting By Allison Lampert in Montreal and Megavarshini G. Somasundaram in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva)