The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday edition that Bombardier shares took a hit on Thursday after the business jet maker forecast slower-than-expected growth, despite a jump in plane deliveries and profit last year. A Canadian Press dispatch to The Globe says that while lower than analysts had predicted, the company's outlook still featured earnings and delivery numbers well above those of 2023 in the face of supply-chain snarls and slumping global demand for business jets, as well as a letdown in November when the federal government opted for rival Boeing in a sole-source deal for military surveillance planes. The Montreal manufacturer churned out 138 of its Global and Challenger planes last year, more than 40 per cent of them in the fourth quarter alone. The total marks its biggest tally since before Bombardier streamlined its business to become a pure-play private jet maker. For the coming year, Bombardier forecast between 150 and 155 deliveries as it hopes to navigate holdups at select suppliers that persist roughly four years after COVID-19. "We are facing, clearly, some supply-chain challenges," chief executive officer Eric Martel told analysts on a call, saying some planes may be delivered late.