Airbus to cut 2,300 defense and space jobs

Text by: RFI Follow

Airbus may be number one in the world of aviation, the European giant sometimes experiences downgrades. While the civil sector is beating records this year, this is not the case for the “defense and space” branch which plans to cut 2,300 jobs, the majority of which in Germany. The cause is poorly supplied order books and the postponement of several contracts.

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The recurring difficulties of the A400M, the military transport aircraft developed by Airbus, ended up weighing on employment. This plane which still encounters many technical problems, seven years after its commercialization, also cost a lot of money, 30 billion euros instead of the 20 billion originally planned for its development.

The A400M is also struggling to convince customers, whether in Europe or the rest of the world. As a result, of the 13,000 positions in the Defense and Space branch, 2,300 will disappear, including 829 in Germany, the country most affected by the austerity package.

→ Read also: United States: Airbus escapes corruption prosecution

The Bremen factory which manufactures the fuselages and cargo loading systems of the military heavy carrier will be the most affected. France, with 400 job cuts, Spain with 600, and the UK with 357 fewer jobs, are also affected.

Because of the A400M's setbacks, Airbus had to bail out its Defense and Space branch last year to the tune of 1.2 billion euros. A branch that weighs 20% of its turnover.

Despite everything, civil aircraft programs broke records last year and Airbus took a step ahead of its American competitor Boeing, weighed down by the 737 MAX crisis.

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