Bombardier slashes hundreds of Belfast jobs in cost cutting drive

Aerospace manufacturer Bombardier is to axe 490 jobs in Belfast as it scrambles to cut costs and streamline its operations.

The aerospace firm had indicated earlier this month that UK jobs may be at risk as it announced 5,000 worldwide redundancies, most of those in Canada, where it is based.

Bombardier said following the announcement on 8 November it had “reviewed our manpower requirements in Belfast and regret to confirm that we must reduce our workforce across the company by 490 employees”.

“We acknowledge the impact this will have on our workforce and their families,” added the company, which employs around 4,000 people in Northern Ireland.

The firm said it would look at ways to reduce the number of jobs lost, but said it needed to “cut costs and improve the efficiency of our operations to help ensure our long-term competitiveness”.

The announcement was met with outrage from the GMB union, which vowed to “fight tooth and nail” to save jobs.

GMB organiser Michael Muholland said: “Our members in Northern Ireland have already suffered months of uncertainty following Trump’s tariffs – now they are under the cosh again.”

Wings for Airbus’s A220 plane are made at a Bombardier factory in Belfast – in June the company said it was exploring ways to make savings on the model’s manufacture to drive down the price and boost sales.

MP for East Belfast Gavin Robinson released a statement on Twitter, saying that he had spoken to Bombardier’s COO Michael Ryan this morning.

“My thoughts today are now primarily with those who face an uncertain future,” he said. “I hope the company will do everything possible to minimise the number of compulsory redundancies."