Plane company axes 645 jobs
Nearly 650 jobs are to go at Belfast aerospace company Shorts in the New Year, it was announced today.
Its Canadian parent company Bombardier said the 645 losses would be among 1,330 across the company.
Bombardier blamed an adjustment of production rates due to current demand for its aircraft. Bombardier said it was reducing production of its 70-90 seat regional jets to reflect this demand.
Production rates for its CRJ700 and CRJ900 would come down from one aircraft every three days to one every five from November. The Belfast jobs will start to go in January, said Bombardier.
“The restructuring of the airline industry continues, with relatively few orders for regional jets in the 70-90 seat jet category being awarded in recent years,” said Bombardier from its Montreal headquarters.
The situation should improve, but it had to be prudent in the short term, it added, to ensure it achieved its goals of increased profitability and success in the long term.
“This means making difficult but necessary decisions. We recognise the impact this decision will have on our affected employees and we will treat them fairly and with respect,” said president and chief operating officer Pierre Beading.
