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EPA
The wings of all Airbus commercial aircraft are manufactured in Wales.
Aerospace giant Airbus says it plans to cut 15,000 jobs while dealing with the effects of the coronavirus crisis.
It will cut 1,700 jobs in the UK, along with thousands more in Germany, Spain and elsewhere.
The move is subject to talks with unions that have opposed mandatory layoffs.
The Unite union said Airbus’ announcement was “another act of industrial vandalism” against the UK aerospace sector.
Some 134,000 people work for Airbus worldwide, with around a tenth of them in the UK.
The firm said the cuts in the UK would fall only to the commercial aircraft division at its two sites in Broughton in Flintshire and Filton, Bristol.
Later in the week, after talks with the unions, more details will be given on the job loss and how it will crumble between the two giant factories.
However, Unite said it expected 1,116 manufacturing jobs and 611 office jobs, reducing Airbus’ workforce in the UK by 15%.
These cuts were inevitable. The only question was how severe the pain would be.
The Covid-19 pandemic has been nothing short of catastrophic for the airline industry. At one point in April, global air traffic fell by more than 90%.
When planes don’t fly, they don’t make money. However, they still have to be maintained and the costs of leasing or loans have yet to be paid.
The result? Airlines are struggling to survive and simply can’t afford to take on new planes right now. And that, of course, means that Airbus has had to stop production.
Airbus has delayed these cuts and has made full use of government support. But ultimately, he had few options.
The company hopes to make the cuts for the summer of 2021, but expects most of the layoffs to be voluntary or through early retirement of staff.
The company warned in April that it was “bleeding cash at unprecedented speed” as it struggled with the impact of the coronavirus crisis.
