Airbus announces reduction of around 15,000 positions

Aerospace and defence company Airbus has revealed plans to eliminate nearly 15,000 jobs before mid-next year.

The announcement is part of the company’s strategy to adapt its global workforce and resize its commercial aircraft activity.

Airbus and its social partners have commenced information and consultation process with the aim of implementing the plan later this year.

The decision will affect 5,000 positions in France and 5,100 in Germany while Spain and the UK will lose 900 and 1,700 positions respectively.

Other Airbus’ sites will see a reduction of 1,300 positions. These include the company’s subsidiaries, including Stelia and Premium AEROTEC.

However, approximately 900 positions, which stem from a pre-Covid-19, are not part of the reduction.

Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said: “Airbus is facing the gravest crisis this industry has ever experienced. The measures we have taken so far have enabled us to absorb the initial shock of this global pandemic.

“Now, we must ensure that we can sustain our enterprise and emerge from the crisis as a healthy, global aerospace leader, adjusting to the overwhelming challenges of our customers.

“To confront that reality, we must now adopt more far-reaching measures. Our management team and our board of directors are fully committed to limiting the social impact of this adaptation.

“The Airbus teams and their skills and competencies will enable us to pursue our ambition to pioneer a sustainable future for aerospace.”

In April, Airbus announced its plans to furlough 3,200 staff at its Broughton facility in Wales, UK.