Bombardier has raised its 2026 free cash flow guidance for the second time this year, to more than $1.3 billion, after a third quarter in which its Services business passed $700 million in quarterly revenue for the first time. Revenues for the quarter rose 3% to $2.4 billion on 33 aircraft deliveries.

The company reported the results in a press release dated November 5, 2026, and reaffirmed the rest of its 2026 guidance: more than 157 aircraft deliveries, revenues above $10.0 billion and adjusted EBITDA above $1,625 million. Those targets are unchanged from the April 30, 2026 update, when the free cash flow forecast was set at more than $1.0 billion.

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Services carry the quarter

Services revenue reached a record $701 million, up 19% from a year earlier, which Bombardier attributed to the growth of its service network and its focus on customer experience. The company said it again ranked first in leading product support surveys.

Éric Martel, President and Chief Executive Officer, said the results were “strong indicators of our foundational strength and resilience.” He said Bombardier was entering the final stretch of 2026 “with a healthy backlog, strong demand” and “solid visibility on all remaining deliveries.”

The aftermarket footprint has kept expanding during the year, including a new line maintenance station in Sydney that opened on October 8, 2026, bringing Bombardier’s Asia-Pacific aftermarket network to 11 facilities.

Margins and earnings

Adjusted EBITDA rose 7% to $382 million, for a margin of 16.1%, up 70 basis points from 15.4%. Reported EBIT increased 17% to $266 million, and the EBIT margin rose 140 basis points to 11.2%. Adjusted EBIT was $267 million, a margin of 11.3%.

Adjusted net income rose 41% to $182 million, or $1.72 per share, from $129 million, or $1.21, a year earlier. Reported net income fell 5% to $81 million, and diluted earnings per share were $0.73, compared with $0.77 in the third quarter of 2025.

Cash, debt and backlog

Free cash flow was $183 million, up 20% from $152 million, and cash flows from operating activities rose 36% to $259 million. Net additions to property, plant and equipment and intangible assets were $76 million, against $38 million a year earlier, and Bombardier expects about $300 million for the full year.

The company said it has reduced debt by $1.1 billion so far in 2026. Long-term debt, including the current portion, stood at $4,052 million at September 30, 2026, down from $5,154 million at the end of 2025, and the ratio of adjusted net debt to adjusted EBITDA fell to 1.5x from 1.9x. Available liquidity was about $2.4 billion, including $1.6 billion in cash and cash equivalents.

Unit book-to-bill was 1.7x for the quarter, and the order backlog reached $22.2 billion at September 30, 2026, up $4.7 billion from $17.5 billion at the end of 2025.

How the 2026 outlook has moved

Bombardier closed 2025 with revenues of $9.55 billion, 157 deliveries and free cash flow of $1,072 million. In February, AirPro News reported that the company had projected more than $10 billion in 2026 revenue. With its first-quarter results in April, it reported a backlog of $20.3 billion and lifted its free cash flow guidance above $1 billion.

Over the first nine months of 2026, Bombardier generated free cash flow of $771 million, against an outflow of $316 million in the same period of 2025. Nine-month revenues were $6,122 million, compared with $5,857 million, and nine-month adjusted EBITDA was $953 million, compared with $901 million.

Defense work also featured in the release. Bombardier cited momentum with its partner Saab, noting that NATO selected the GlobalEye solution and that the Canadian government selected the same platform.

What comes next

Bombardier will hold an in-person Investor Day on February 18, 2027, to update its strategic priorities and outlook, with timing and location details to follow. The company says its fleet in service numbers about 5,300 aircraft, supported by 10 service centres in six countries, and that it builds aircraft in Canada, the United States and Mexico.

BETA Technologies reported record third-quarter revenue of $17.7 million on November 3, 2026, up 98% from a year earlier, and raised its full-year 2026 revenue guidance to between $52 million and $57 million, from the $42 million to $50 million range it gave on August 12, 2026.

Aviation Week reported the same day that BETA has begun early systems testing on its CX300 electric aircraft and has applied to certify an upgraded pusher motor, two certification steps the results release does not mention. The release itself highlights the A250, BETA’s electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) model, which received an FAA Special Airworthiness Certificate for market surveys, allowing demonstration flights with customers aboard before type certification.

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Revenue mix, spending and the new outlook

Product revenue was $5.2 million and service revenue $12.5 million in the quarter ended September 30, 2026. BETA said the quarter’s revenue exceeded its guidance range and that its revenue is entirely organic.

Operating expenses were $140.5 million, including research and development spending of $90.5 million. That figure includes a $5.8 million non-cash warrant expense related to BETA’s collaborative arrangement with GE Aerospace. The net loss was $119.1 million and the Adjusted EBITDA (adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) loss was $97.4 million. Capital expenditures were $28.8 million, up from $13.0 million in the third quarter of 2025.

Cash and cash equivalents stood at $1,343.1 million at the end of the quarter, against $687.6 million in the release’s 2025 comparison; the release says the total reflects private financings and the proceeds of BETA’s initial public offering. In its second-quarter release, BETA reported $1,479.5 million in cash and cash equivalents as of June 30, 2026.

The company kept its full-year 2026 Adjusted EBITDA guidance at a loss of $400 million to $445 million. Kyle Clark, BETA’s founder and chief executive officer, said “This was our strongest quarter of revenue since inception,” adding that “we’re exceeding the targets we set at the beginning of 2026.”

Flight miles, chargers and backlog

BETA said its aircraft fleet has flown more than 250,000 nautical miles, passing its year-end flight target ahead of schedule, across both conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) and vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft. In its August release, the company gave a figure of more than 190,000 nautical miles for the ALIA fleet.

The charging network grew to 168 sites across the United States, from 138 sites listed in the second-quarter release. Commercial aircraft backlog rose to just over $4.0 billion, which the company said surpasses its year-end target. The backlog represents 1,040 aircraft in firm and option orders backed by financial commitments; the August release gave no backlog amount.

BETA has launched six of the seven selections in the FAA’s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP), the release states. The missions it cited include transporting medical supplies in North Carolina, delivering emergency response equipment in Texas and moving time-sensitive cancer medicines in Utah. In an interview published by Aviation Week on October 22, 2026, Clark said five of the seven planned launches had taken place, with New York-Vermont and Florida still to come.

Where CX300 and A250 certification stands

The release, datelined South Burlington, Vermont, describes BETA as an aerospace and defense company that designs, manufactures and sells electric aircraft, electric propulsion systems, components and charging systems for cargo, defense, passenger and medical markets. Aviation Week reported in October that BETA sees its runway-based CX300 cargo aircraft as a stepping stone to the A250 VTOL variant, that the two share roughly 80% commonality, including flight controls, batteries, pusher motors and wings, and that Clark expects this to simplify VTOL certification, targeted for roughly one year after the CTOL variant.

On the CX300 program, Clark told Aviation Week in October that a dispute over the FAA’s interpretation of continued-rotation requirements for the H500A pusher motor was largely resolved, but that certification was taking longer than he had expected. BETA had logged more than 90,000 hours of H500A operation, including dynamometer and flight testing. Aviation Week reported on November 3, 2026, that BETA has now applied to certify an upgraded pusher motor.

In its August release, BETA said it had closed the CX300 Requirements Definition phase and received FAA acceptance of the aircraft’s complete set of compliance requirements. In the third-quarter release, Clark said the company is “carrying that momentum into scaling production as we advance toward commercial certification.”

On the VTOL side, BETA said the A250 became the first electric VTOL aircraft to receive the market survey certificate, building on the CX300’s existing market survey authorization. Aviation Week reported that the authorization was announced on October 21, 2026, at the National Business Aviation Association’s Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) in Las Vegas. It lets BETA fly customers and other stakeholders on the A250 but does not permit commercial operations. The first flight under the certificate, on October 20, was a 34-nautical-mile trip from Plattsburgh, New York, to Burlington, Vermont.

BETA also sells to other aircraft developers. Aviation Week reported that the company supplies components, including its pusher motor and fly-by-wire flight control computers, to eVTOL developers such as Eve and Horizon Aircraft. Clark said that work generates revenue and helps validate components used in BETA’s own aircraft.

AerCap Reports Record 2025 Earnings, But Stock Slips on 2026 Guidance

AerCap Holdings N.V., the world’s largest aircraft lessor, reported record financial results for the full year ending December 31, 2025. The company achieved a historic net income of $3.75 billion, driven by robust leasing demand and significant insurance recoveries related to assets previously lost in the Ukraine conflict.

Despite the headline-beating performance for 2025, the company’s stock experienced a decline of approximately 4% in early trading following the announcement. According to the company’s financial disclosure, this market reaction appears linked to a softer-than-expected outlook for 2026, as the lessor navigates the restructuring of a major customer, Spirit Airlines, and the normalization of earnings following a year of exceptional one-off gains.

Record-Breaking Financial Performance

In its official release, AerCap highlighted a year of unprecedented financial growth. For the full year 2025, the company reported total revenues of $8.52 billion, up from $8.00 billion in 2024. GAAP Net Income surged to $3.75 billion, resulting in earnings per share (EPS) of $21.30. Adjusted Net Income, which excludes certain one-time items, stood at $2.71 billion, or $15.37 per share.

The fourth quarter of 2025 was particularly strong, beating analyst expectations on both top and bottom lines:

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• Q4 Revenue: $2.24 billion (vs. consensus estimates of $2.08 billion).
• Q4 Adjusted EPS: $3.95 (vs. consensus estimates of $3.36).

A significant portion of the 2025 windfall came from insurance settlements. The company recognized $1.5 billion in recoveries during the year related to aircraft stranded in Russia following the invasion of Ukraine. Since 2023, AerCap has recovered a total of $3 billion in relation to these claims.

AerCap CEO Aengus Kelly commented on the results in the press release:

“We are pleased to announce another strong quarter for AerCap, completing a year of record net income and earnings per share… As we have always done, in 2026 we will continue to look for opportunities to deploy capital attractively and create long-term value for our shareholders.”

2026 Outlook: Normalization and Headwinds

While 2025 set new records, the company’s guidance for 2026 prompted a cautious reaction from investors. AerCap forecasted full-year 2026 Adjusted EPS in the range of $12.00 to $13.00. This projection falls notably below the pre-release analyst consensus of approximately $14.76 per share.

The Spirit Airlines Impact

A primary factor in the conservative guidance is the ongoing bankruptcy restructuring of Spirit Airlines, a significant customer for AerCap. The restructuring process has already impacted the lessor’s financials. According to CFO Peter Juhas, the maintenance contribution in the fourth quarter was severely affected.

“In the fourth quarter, the net maintenance contribution was negative $106 million… significantly lower than the usual range due to the Spirit Airlines restructuring.”

The company anticipates that repossessing aircraft from Spirit and transitioning them to new customers will result in downtime and lost revenue throughout 2026, creating a temporary drag on earnings.

Normalization of Earnings

Beyond specific customer headwinds, the 2026 guidance reflects a return to a more normalized earnings baseline. The $1.5 billion in insurance recoveries recognized in 2025 were one-off events that will not repeat in the coming year. Investors adjusting their models to exclude these windfalls account for part of the gap between 2025 actuals and 2026 projections.

Operational Strategy and Capital Allocation

AerCap continued to actively manage its portfolio in 2025, taking advantage of high demand for aviation assets. The company sold $3.9 billion in assets during the year, generating a record gain on sale of $819 million, which represents a 27% margin. Simultaneously, AerCap reinvested $5.4 billion into new aviation assets and added 103 aircraft to its order book to secure future growth.

The company also maintained a strong focus on returning capital to shareholders. In 2025, AerCap returned $2.6 billion through share repurchases and dividends. In December 2025, the board announced a new $1 billion share repurchase program and increased the quarterly dividend to $0.40 per share.

AirPro News Analysis

The market’s negative reaction to AerCap’s record year highlights a classic tension in aviation finance: the difference between “lumpy” cash events and recurring operational income. While the $1.5 billion in insurance recoveries provided a massive boost to the 2025 bottom line, sophisticated investors are looking past these one-time gains to the core leasing business.

The guidance miss for 2026 suggests that the friction costs of moving aircraft from a distressed carrier like Spirit Airlines are higher than the market anticipated. However, the broader industry context remains favorable for lessors. With Boeing and Airbus continuing to face delivery delays, a ‘shortage of metal’, the value of existing fleets remains high. AerCap’s ability to sell assets at a 27% margin confirms that the secondary market is robust, potentially offering a buffer against the temporary revenue dips caused by customer bankruptcies.

Sources

• AerCap Holdings N.V. Press Release