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.

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.

More than 2,000 jobs in aerospace in Northern Ireland are at risk from the break-up of Spirit AeroSystems, a trade union has said.