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A County Down aerospace company has announced it is cutting 62 jobs due to the impact of Covid-19 on aerospace production.

Collins Aerospace is an aircraft seat manufacturing plant in Kilkeel which employs about 1,000 people in NI.

In a statement, the company said the redundancies were due to "a slower than expected recovery from the pandemic".

Last year the Raytheon-owned business announced it was cutting 235 jobs amid Covid-19 downturn.

A spokesperson for Collins Aerospace said that the plant "is currently facing a slower than expected recovery from the pandemic".

"As a result, Collins is conducting voluntary and involuntary separation plans for approximately 62 employees in our Kilkeel site.

"These actions are not taken lightly and are critical as we remain committed to ensure the long-term success of our business and the viability of our Kilkeel site."

'Devastating'

SDLP South Down MLA Sinead Bradley described the job losses as "devastating".

Ms Bradley said the reduction in employee numbers does not come as huge shock as there is continuing pressures on the aviation industry.

"Redundancy is never easy to face but it is particularly challenging at this time when our local, national and global economies are under so much pressure from the pandemic," she said.

She called on the Northern Ireland Executive to "do all it can to assist directly in overseeing a timely recovery of the industry".

Kieran Ellison, regional officer of Unite the Union, described it as a "ruthless corporate decision, with little regard for staff".

"Many of these staff have given long service to this very employer," he said.

"The impact of this decision in Kilkeel and surrounding areas is not to be underestimated, especially on the back of significant redundancies at this employer as recently as late 2020."