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The aerospace firm Bombardier has announced a reorganisation that will lead to 1,800 job losses across its global operations.

The firm is one of Northern Ireland's biggest employers with around 6,000 people working across four sites.

The company said it was not yet clear what the implications will be for the Northern Ireland operation.

However, the job losses are understood to be in business support roles like finance, HR and customer services.

The job cuts are in addition to reductions announced in January, when Bombardier said it would cut 1,700 aerospace jobs.

The company's aerospace president and chief operating officer, Guy Hachey, will retire.

The aerospace business will be split into three segments focused on business aircraft, commercial aircraft and aerostructures/engineering services.

Northern Ireland is most likely to come under the aerostructures division.

The firm said that division will specialise in the design and development of advanced composite and metallic aerostructures and all categories of structure, including wings and engine nacelles.

That matches the description of the firm's work in Northern Ireland.

A Bombardier statement also suggests it will begin to sell or licence its engineering output to other aerospace firms.

It said the new division will "help us market our expertise in this field to the aerospace industry, thus generating new revenues."

It added: "We are setting the stage to take full advantage of our investments and the tremendous growth potential of our new products."

The company said it will develop a "detailed implementation plan" over the next few months, and the new structure will be implemented in January.

Bombardier has faced a series of delays in its C-series jet project, which is an expansion into the 100 - 149 seat market.

The C-series was initially scheduled to enter service last year but the first aircraft is now due to be delivered in the second half of 2015.

It currently has 203 firm orders, from 19 customers.