 Small jet production line in full swing |
Aircraft company Bombardier Aerospace has secured almost �9m in government funding which will secure and create about 370 jobs at the Shorts plant in east Belfast. Bombardier invested �33m of its own money to design and build parts for two new business jets.
Enterprise Minister Barry Gardiner said the investment would help ensure Bombardier's Belfast base remained a globally competitive centre of excellence for manufacturing aircraft parts.
"These programmes are immensely important not only for Bombardier in Northern Ireland, but also for the wider economy," he said.
"In terms of salaries and wages alone Bombardier provides �135m per year into the local economy from its employees.
"For Bombardier, the work means that the company in Northern Ireland will retain full design and manufacturing capability in the development of very substantial and critical aero structures, including fuselages.
"Maintaining and enhancing this capability is essential if the Belfast company is to continue to compete successfully in the international marketplace.
"I hope that everyone at the company grasps the opportunity provided by these projects to secure the company's position within the group."
The minister said the government was supporting the two projects at Bombardier - providing substantial components for new aircraft being developed from the existing and successful Bombardier Learjet 45 and Bombardier Global Express business jet programmes.
Bombardier vice-president Michael Ryan said the two projects would enable Shorts to continue to provide an integrated service to Bombardier.
"The work packages also help us to maintain our overall level of design and manufacturing activity and further embed our position within Bombardier as the preferred supplier of these components," he said.
"They further increase the amount of business being done with the Bombardier Aerospace group and our investment in Northern Ireland.
"We are now involved in 11 of Bombardier's 14 aircraft programmes and Bombardier has invested more than �1 billion in Northern Ireland in new product development, new facilities and training in the past 14 years.
"Bombardier is now engaged in a process of evaluating the competitive position of all its group sites."
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Bombardier is now engaged in a process of evaluating the competitive position of all its group sites 
