BOMBARDIER Aerospace is putting its Belfast operation up for sale as part of a re-organisation of its global business.

The company, which also has factories in Morocco, is selling its entire aero structures operation.

The Canadian aircraft manufacturer employs about 3,600 people across several locations in Northern Ireland.

The company said it would be working closely with employees and unions, through any future transition period.

In a statement, Bombardier announced the “strategic formation of Bombardier Aviation, consolidating all aerospace assets into a single, streamlined and fully integrated business”.

“As a result, Bombardier will pursue the divestiture of its Belfast and Morocco aerostructures businesses.

“Our sites in Belfast and Morocco have seen a significant increase in work from other global customers in recent years.

“We are recognised as a global leader in aerostructures, with unique end-to-end capabilities – through design and development, testing and manufacture, to after-market support.”

It said Bombardier was committed to finding the right buyer.

It added: “There are no new workforce announcements as a result of this decision.

“But our management team will continue to drive ongoing transformation initiatives to improve productivity and increase our competitiveness, to give more weight to our unique value proposition to potential buyers.”

It is understood that Business Secretary Greg Clark spoke to representatives of the company before the announcement was made.

A government spokesperson said that it was disappointed that Belfast was no longer a part of Bombardier’s future.

Bombardier, which is based in Montreal, has more than 68,000 employees in 28 countries.