European plane-maker Airbus will take over parts of Spirit AeroSystems as it and Boeing carve up the key supplier in an effort to improve production quality.

Airbus finalised an agreement on Monday to take over some plants from Spirit AeroSystems in a carve-up of the struggling supplier with rival Boeing , as unions voiced fears over thousands of jobs in Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Airbus has finalised a deal to take over part of the Spirit AeroSystems operation in Belfast. The deal was first announced in July last year as part of a wider break up of the Spirit business. The transaction also includes Airbus work packages at the Spirit factory at Prestwick in Scotland.