Airbus backs Britain with plan to create 1,100 jobs
Airbus has delivered a huge vote of confidence to UK plc by announcing plans to increase its British workforce by almost 10 per cent.
The world’s largest aircraft manufacturer plans to create another 1,100 jobs in the coming years in various divisions. Many of the positions will be in high-tech fields, including cybersecurity, software engineering, cryogenics and robotics.
Airbus already employs 11,500 people in the UK – out of a global workforce of 134,000 – and manufactures the wings for all its aircraft here.
It has major bases at Filton, near Bristol, and Broughton, north Wales, and a large center focused on space work in Portsmouth.
The job announcement comes as figures show Airbus contributed £7bn to the UK economy last year. It also supported 79,000 British jobs in the wider aerospace and defense sectors, according to a report by consultancy Oxford Economics, and spent £3.9bn on local suppliers.
Airbus made £5.6bn in UK sales last year. In addition to building passenger aircraft, such as the A350, and commercial helicopters, it works in the defense and space sectors.
“These results clearly show that Airbus is good for jobs, good for growth and good for the UK,” said Airbus UK president John Harrison. “Our deep roots in the UK supply chain and investment across all four nations create long-term regional and local growth, ensuring our impact is felt at every level.”
Airbus invested £277 million in research and development in the UK last year, and the creation of 1,100 jobs would be a boon for the sector. More than 400,000 people work in the aerospace and defense industries in the UK, according to industry body ADS, although Airbus’ total UK workforce will still be below pre-Covid levels after the figures are created. jobs.
It had around 14,000 employees in Britain before the pandemic, when the suspension of flights for several months forced the company to cut jobs around the world.
Airbus, worth £86bn, is a listed company but is also part-owned by France, Spain and Germany.
It is bidding for lucrative Ministry of Defense contracts in the United Kingdom, including one to build the next generation of military satellite communications through the Skynet Enduring Capability program and another to build a new helicopter.
