BELFAST (Reuters) - The leader of the Northern Irish party propping up Britain's minority government said Airbus SE's (>> Airbus SE) acquisition of a majority stake in Bombardier Inc's (>> Bombardier, Inc.) C-Series passenger jet program was "incredibly significant news" for Belfast.

"I'm thrilled there is a bright future ahead following what has been a dark time for staff and management. Airbus are a fitting partner," Arlene Foster said in a statement, referring to the 4,200 Bombardier jobs in Belfast under threat by a trade dispute with U.S. rival Boeing Co (>> Boeing Company (The)) over the C-Series jet.

(Reporting by Amanda Ferguson, writing by Padraic Halpin; Editing by Mary Milliken)

Stocks treated in this article : Airbus SE, Boeing Company (The), Bombardier, Inc.