More than 2000 Airbus workers face job cuts amid restructuring of space division
December 5, 2024
Aircraft manufacturing giant Airbus has announced plans to reduce its workforce in the UK by 477 roles in line with broader efforts to scale back its space division and lower fixed costs. Globally the OEM will axe more than 2,000 jobs (5% of its workforce) by mid-2026.
While no compulsory redundancies are planned and the most affected roles are not tied to specific projects or programmes, the company’s space division will bear the brunt of the job cuts with 1,128 roles set to be made redundant.
With its space division responsible for manufacturing satellites, spacecraft, jet fighters and drones, Airbus has been navigating a challenging few months. The OEM has been battling bottlenecks in its supply chain and despite a rise in sales, the company’s profits are down with Airbus admitting it is falling behind on orders. In its latest results Airbus’ profits fell 22% to £1.8 million, despite sales rising 7% to £44.5 billlion.
In addition to the cuts in its space unit, an additional 618 jobs will be cut from its headquarters, 250 from its air power division and 47 from its connected intelligence department.
The layoffs will predominantly affect Western Europe. Germany, which is home to Airbus’ defence and space operations, is expected to bear the largest share of the overall cuts with 689 positions affected, other core nations that will be impacted include France, where the OEM has its headquarters, with 540 job cuts, the UK with 477 and Spain with 303.
According to the BBC, Airbus has admitted to having more demand than the ability to supply, as it revealed plans to reduce its “fixed cost base” and that it will “work with its social partners to limit the impact by utilising all available social measures.”
