Late last month, the United States International Trade Commission (USITC) declared that “a US industry is not materially injured — or threatened with material injury — by reason of imports of 100- to 150-seat large civil aircraft from Canada that the US Department of Commerce has determined are subsidised and sold at less than fair value”.

As a result, no “antidumping or countervailing duty orders will be issued”.

The Commission’s public report 100- to 150-Seat Large Civil Aircraft from Canada (Investigation Nos 701-TA-578 and 731-TA-1368 (Final), USITC Publication 4759, February 2018) will contain the views of the Commission and information developed during the investigations. It will be available by 2 March and will be accessible on the USITC Web site (USITC Web site ).

Speaking to Reuters from Montreal, where he celebrated the result with his Bombardier Inc counterpart Alain Bellemare, Airbus chief executive Tom Enders said the decision to block US tariffs on the C-Series jet represented a victory for “sober business”. Moreover, the decision could safeguard thousands of jobs in Belfast, where the C-Series wings are produced.

Prime Minister Theresa May, who raised the issue with US president Donald Trump at the recent World Economic Forum in Davos (Switzerland), said: “I welcome this decision, which is good news for British industry. Bombardier and its innovative workforce play a vital role in the Northern Ireland economy.”

Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley said that it was “excellent news” and Bombardier would continue to play a “hugely important role” in the country’s economy.

She added: “I know Bombardier workers and their families have been waiting some time for this. The UK Government has been working tirelessly to safeguard Bombardier jobs, and it argued from the very start that this case was wholly unjustified.”