The future of more than 2,000 Northern Ireland aerospace jobs is uncertain following the confirmation that French aircraft manufacturer Airbus will buy only part of the Spirit AeroSystems operation in Belfast.

Airbus has finalised a deal to take over part of the Spirit AeroSystems operation in Belfast. The deal was first announced in July last year as part of a wider break up of the Spirit business. The transaction also includes Airbus work packages at the Spirit factory at Prestwick in Scotland.

Today (28th) it was announced that Airbus has finalised arrangements to take over parts of the city’s Spirit AeroSystems operation that build fuselage for the airline giant. The move should save around 800 jobs at the factory – but there’s no word on what will happen to large sections of the business that handle contracts for other companies.