A MAJOR EMPLOYER...

Airbus employs more than 14,000 people at 25 sites across the UK

Factories in Broughton, Flintshire, and Filton, Gloucestershire, are responsible for assembling the wings and landing gear for the company’s commercial aircraft

More than 1,000 wings are produced every year at Broughton

The company also provides helicopter design, manufacturing, support, maintenance and training at sites in Aberdeen, Belfast, Hawarden and Oxford

Airbus supplies helicopters to the Armed Forces as well as aircraft to the Royal Air Force

According to a 2017 report by Oxford Economics, Airbus’ global operations supported a £7.8bn contribution to the UK economy in 2015. This was larger than the economy of Newcastle Upon Tyne, and nearly a third bigger than the economy of Oxford

The study also found that the number of jobs supported by Airbus in 2015 was 117,400 – meaning more than 100,000 people who did not work for the firm had jobs linked to it in some way. In Wales, the firm supported 11,600 jobs

More than 4,000 apprentices are said to have trained at Airbus in the last decade

According to its website, it spends £500m a year in research and technology in the UK and has collaboration agreements with more than 20 universities across the country.