Unions seek assurances amid fears for future of NI aerospace industry after Spirit takeover

Unions say they will fight to ensure that Spirit Aerosystems' operations in Northern Ireland aren't broken up after the company was taken over.

Boeing has bought the aircraft manufacturer in a multi-billion dollar deal. However, rival manufacturer Airbus will takeover the Belfast operation, which makes wings for the A220.

That work only accounts for around 40% of the business here. The rest of the work is set to be sold off in a separate deal, which is still to be completed.

Susan Fitzgerald from Unite said: "Any breakup of the business is going to be bad news in the longer term.

"We want assurances and it's not too late, we'll be seeking and campaigning for these assurances that the site will remain intact."

More than 3,500 people work for the company here. This change in ownership had been on the cards for some time

The chair of Spirit in the UK had warned earlier this year that dismantling the business would be extremely detrimental to the long term future of the Belfast business.

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