Canadian aerospace group Bombardier (www.uk.bombardier.com/en/home.html) is to cut at least 220 jobs — and possibly 280 — at its east Belfast facility because the economic conditions and geo-political issues in some market regions — particularly Latin America, China and Russia — are affecting demand for its Global 5000 and Global 6000 business jets. Most of the jobs to be lost will be those of temporary and contract workers.

Bombardier cut 130 jobs in February, having made 390 people redundant in September last year. It currently has a Belfast workforce of around 5,000 permanent staff and 1,000 contract workers. The cuts are part of its decision to cut 1,750 jobs across its operations in Canada and Northern Ireland. About 1,000 of the lost jobs will be in Montreal, where Bombardier has its main operations, and 480 in Toronto.

A spokesman for Bombardier said: “We deeply regret the impact this will have on all those affected and their families.The group remains committed to the Global 5000 and Global 6000 products, and the long-term outlook for the business aircraft market remains strong.”

At the beginning of May, Bombardier reported that its first-quarter profits were down 13% on 2014. It has been trying to break the Boeing-Airbus duopoly with a new C-Series passenger jet that should go into service next year, but sales have been slow. That has left business jets as the net earners for its aerospace division, but orders in 2015 have dropped to just 19 — less than half the number reached by the same point in 2014.