Union fear over job losses for workers at Airbus

UNIONS HAVE expressed “bitter disappointment” at news that Airbus is to cease production of its superjumbo A380 aircraft.

Unite, which represents workers at Airbus sites in Broughton, North Wales, and Filton, near Bristol, and those in supply chain companies such as GKN, said it would be seeking assurances on jobs and future work.

A few hundred staff in the UK work on the aircraft, mainly at Broughton, but it is hoped they can be redeployed.

The firm said it had made the “painful” decision after struggling to sell the world’s largest passenger jet and after Emirates chose to slash its A380 order book by around a quarter.

Due to the reduction and a lack of orders from other airlines, Airbus said it would end deliveries of the record-breaking plane in 2021, 14 years after it first entered commercial service.

Unite national officer for aerospace Rhys McCarthy said: “This is a sad day for Airbus’s dedicated UK workforce, who have made the iconic A380’s wings since it entered service in 2007. It is a much-loved aircraft manufactured by a highly skilled workforce.

“Unite will be seeking urgent assurances from Airbus that there will be no job losses because of the decision to end production of the A380.

“We are of the firm belief that with a full order book in singleaisle planes, such as the A320, that our members affected can be redeployed on to other work in Airbus.

“Our members in the supply chain making many of the parts for the A380 are also our key concern. Over the coming days we will be engaging closely with companies such as GKN to ensure any impact is minimal as we offer our full support to some of the best aerospace workers in the world.”

Airbus declined to give details of the number of jobs that could be impacted.

In a media conference following the announcement, outgoing chief executive Tom Enders said: “It’s certainly painful to take the decision after all the effort, after all the money, after all the sweat that many, many thousand employees, and the CEO occasionally, have poured into that programme.

“But in business, you have to base your decisions not on emotions or wishful thinking, but on facts.”