Jet raises aerospace jobs hopes

The firm hopes the new jet will bring jobs to Belfast

Aircraft maker Bombardier hopes to create new jobs at its Shorts factory in Belfast with a new jet.

The CRJ1000 is an enlarged version of its popular regional jet.

The company is in talks with Invest Northern Ireland for grant aid. It is expected that Shorts will design and make the main fuselage.

A spokesman said that development work on the project has already helped to save some jobs at the company which announced 645 redundancies last autumn.

"We welcome the launch of this new programme," he said.

"We are in discussions with Invest Northern Ireland for grant support that would enable us to undertake the design and manufacture of the main fuselage, nacelles and wing mounted flight components for the CRJ1000.

"Should the grant support be forthcoming, the programme will help to create or sustain jobs in Belfast once the programme reaches full production in a few years' time."