Invest Northern Ireland chief executive Alastair Hamilton has welcomed the announcement that Delta Air Lines of Atlanta, Georgia has signed a firm agreement with Bombardier to purchase 75 CS100 aircraft with the option for an additional 50 CS100 aircraft. “Today’s announcement is excellent news for Bombardier, the C Series programme and for Northern Ireland, where major components including the composite wings for the CSeries have been designed, developed and are manufactured,” said Hamilton. “This significant order is the largest in Bombardier Commercial Aircraft history and makes Delta the CSeries aircraft’s largest customer. As the first 100 per cent new aircraft developed in over 30 years, this agreement is an important milestone for the CSeries programme which has significant economic importance to Northern Ireland. “Northern Ireland is a global leader in aerospace technology and Invest NI continues to work closely with the local supply base to enhance its competitiveness and support its continued growth,” he concluded.