South Korea in talks to develop passenger plane

A South Korean state-led consortium is in talks with Canada’s Bombardier Inc. about jointly developing a midsize turboprop passenger plane, a Korean official involved in the discussions said, as Seoul looks to enter the commercial aircraft industry. A deal , according to the Wall Street Journal, could help Bombardier increase its presence in Asian markets, but if the project goes ahead, it would likely face stiff competition from more advanced midsize plane projects in Japan and China. The Korean consortium in June launched a project to develop a 90-seat turboprop plane by 2019 through a strategic tie-up. Talks on a partnership are now focusing on Bombardier. South Korea’s progress in selling military aircraft has prompted it to set its sights on the commercial aircraft industry.