AIRSHOW-Pratt & Whitney confident in Bombardier, expects CSeries demand to rebound

SINGAPORE, Feb 16 (Reuters) - The head of engine maker Pratt
& Whitney UTX.N is not worried about struggling Canadian plane
maker Bombardier BBDb.TO and says demand for its new CSeries
jet will pick up because it is a good product.
Pratt & Whitney makes the engines for the CSeries and its
President Bob Leduc, asked at the Singapore Airshow whether he
was worried about Bombardier's future, said:
"I don't think I am, because I find it hard to believe that the
Canadian government will let them fail."
The troubled CSeries has not had an order in more than a
year and Canada's Liberal government is now considering whether
to invest in the programme.
Quebec, where Bombardier accounts for about 40,000 direct
and indirect jobs, said last week it would consider contributing
further to the CSeries jet, after making a $1.3 billion
investment in the troubled programme last year.
Beyond such uncertainties, Leduc said he was not worried
about the CSeries aircraft itself.
"CSeries is a fantastic 100-seat airplane, fantastic with
operating costs. They can get a couple of orders and I think if
they do, they will be fine," Leduc said.
"I know Bombardier is going through a rough time (and) they
spent more in development. But I have been around long enough to
know that if you wait just a little while longer something will
happen that is totally unexpected," said Leduc, who was pulled
out of retirement to run Pratt & Whitney last month as it
prepares for a steep rise in output.
"They have got a good product and in my experience, if you
have a good product the market will eventually come."
Bombardier is due to hold briefings on the CSeries project
at Asia's largest air show on Wednesday, when the Canadian
company is also due to report fourth-quarter earnings.