Airbus Backing Britain with Plan to Create 1,100 Jobs
Airbus has delivered a huge vote of confidence in UK plc by announcing plans to increase its British workforce by almost 10 per cent.
The world’s biggest aeroplane maker plans to create another 1,100 jobs in the coming years across a range of divisions. Many of these roles will be in high-tech fields, including cyber security, software engineering, cryogenics, and robotics.
Airbus already employs 11,500 people in the UK – out of a global staff of 134,000 – and manufactures the wings for all its airplanes here.
It has major bases in Filton, near Bristol, and Broughton, in North Wales, as well as a significant center focused on space work in Portsmouth.
The jobs announcement comes as figures reveal that Airbus contributed £7 billion to the UK economy last year. It also supported 79,000 British jobs in the wider aerospace and defense sectors, according to a report from the consultancy Oxford Economics, and spent £3.9 billion with domestic suppliers.
Airbus generated £5.6 billion in UK sales last year. In addition to building passenger jets, such as the A350, and commercial helicopters, the company is involved in the defense and space sectors.
‘These findings clearly show that Airbus is good for jobs, good for growth, and good for the UK,’ said Airbus’s UK chairman, John Harrison. ‘Our deep roots in the UK supply chain and investment across the four nations create long-term regional and local growth, ensuring our impact is felt at every level.’
Last year, Airbus invested £277 million in research and development in the UK, and the creation of 1,100 jobs would be a boon for the sector. According to industry body ADS, over 400,000 people work in the aerospace and defense industries in the UK, although Airbus’s total UK workforce will still be below pre-Covid levels even after the new jobs are created.
Before the pandemic, Airbus had approximately 14,000 employees in Britain. The grounding of flights for several months forced the company to cut jobs globally.
Airbus, valued at £86 billion, is a publicly listed company but is also partially owned by France, Spain, and Germany.
The company is bidding for lucrative Ministry of Defense contracts in the UK, including one to build the next generation of military satellite communications through the Skynet Enduring Capability program and another to build a new helicopter.
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