Fears for 2,000 staff at historic Belfast aviation factory as Airbus signs deal with Boeing

Thousands of jobs are in limbo after Airbus signed a deal to buy part of a historic Belfast aviation firm.

The deal will see up to 1,500 jobs transfer from US owner Spirit AeroSystems to Airbus.

But another 2,000 staff face an uncertain future as part of the business remains up for sale.

It is the latest chapter in the saga of the Shorts plant which first opened in Belfast in 1936 but has gone through the hands of various owners in recent years.

Trade union Unite called on the Government to intervene to secure jobs as well as the future of Northern Ireland’s aerospace industry.

And Alan Perry, senior organiser at the GMB union, said: ‘We will fight tooth and nail to protect and maintain jobs for future generations.’

The deal is part of a carve-up of Spirit, a major supplier to the global aviation industry, between America’s Boeing and Europe’s Airbus.

Airbus is buying Spirit plants in the US, France and Morocco as well as Northern Ireland, and the Prestwick plant in Scotland.

The Prestwick factory, which employs 1,100 staff, also faces uncertainty as Airbus said it would ‘assess the long-term strategy for the site’.

Spirit bought the Shorts business in Belfast five years ago from Canada’s Bombardier. It employs around 3,500 people. 

Around 1,000 are involved in wing manufacturing and assembly for the Airbus A220 aircraft while 500 work building fuselages for A220s. Those jobs are expected to transfer to Airbus, though a final consultation will arrive at the final total.

Spirit said it expected 1,200 jobs to transfer, implying some of those jobs may be lost.

The non-Airbus part of the Belfast site, employing 2,000 people, remains up for sale. If no buyer is found, the jobs would transfer to Boeing.

Unite’s general secretary Sharon Graham said: ‘Hundreds of highly skilled Spirit workers are facing an uncertain future.

‘The Government must now intervene to secure not just the workers but the future of Northern Ireland aerospace.’

Unions and workforce representatives will travel to Westminster tomorrow to make their case to MPs and ministers.

Industry minister Sarah Jones said: ‘We know this will be a concerning time for Spirit workers and their families who may be affected.’