Airbus announces plans to take on 1,100 new workers
Airplane manufacturer Airbus is planning to take on an extra 1,100 staff in the UK.
The industrial giant employs more than 4,500 staff at its Broughton wing-making plant, near Chester. Its economic contribution to the Bristol area, where it has a key base in Filton, for 2022 was £445m, according to the manufacturers’ latest Oxford Economics survey.
The survey outlines Airbus’ contribution to the UK, as well as its role in supporting direct and indirect employment across the wider aerospace and defence supply chain.
With more than 25 sites across the UK, Airbus is the largest civil aerospace company in the country, the biggest civil aerospace exporter, the largest space satellite company, the biggest supplier of large aircraft to the Royal Air Force and responsible for around 50 per cent of the UK’s civil helicopter fleet.
In Filton, Airbus employs more than 2,700 employees and its expertise in wing design, fuel management systems and landing gear runs deep.
Assessing Airbus’ impact in areas such as jobs, investment, research & development (R&D), supply chain and sovereign capability across the UK, the survey highlights that Airbus remains a key component of the UK’s wider industrial manufacturing capabilities, supporting economic performance.
John Harrison, Airbus General Counsel and UK Chairman, said: “These findings clearly show that Airbus is good for jobs, good for growth, and good for the UK.
“I am proud of the contribution our 11,500 UK employees make to the UK economy – a multi billion pound effort from satellites to civil aerospace that helps connect people all over the world. Our deep roots in the UK supply chain and investment across the four nations create long-term regional and local growth – ensuring Airbus’ impact is felt at every level.
“But the work does not stop here – our continued investment in R&D, a total of £277m in 2022 alone, is helping to find tangible solutions to the key challenges that affect our world today – from climate change to conflict.”
A major employer in Britain, Airbus directly employs nearly 12,000 people across its Commercial, Defence and Space and Helicopters divisions, and expects to hire a further 1,100 across the UK.
A further 68,000 jobs are supported by Airbus in the UK, across transport equipment manufacturing, business services and wholesale and retail trade sectors.