European aircraft manufacturer Airbus is set to hire nearly 500 people at a wing-making facility in North Wales after a multi-billion pound aircraft contract with Air India. The space will reportedly produce new wings for a fleet of 200 aircraft.
With the announcement of additional employees, more than 4,000 workers are currently employed at the facility. Engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce is also set to benefit from the deal with its engine facility in Derby.
More than a $120 million investment
According to the Anadolu Agency, the Department for Business and Trade said wings, designed by Airbus at Filton near Bristol, will be assembled at the manufacturer’s Broughton site in North Wales, which is expected to bring an additional 450 manufacturing jobs and more than £100 million ($121 million) of investment to Wales.
United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on social media that the landmark deal is essential for the UK’s economic state.
“This is one of the biggest export deals to India in decades and a huge win for the UK’s aerospace sector. With wings from Broughton and engines from Derby, this deal will support jobs around the country and help deliver one of our five priorities – growing the economy.”
A historic order
Earlier this week, Air India, owned by parent company Tata, confirmed a historic and massive aircraft order totaling 470 aircraft split between Boeing and Airbus models. The carrier also revealed details of its future fleet, which includes a placement for 10 Boeing 777X widebodies.
Among the Airbus orders, Air India agreed to buy 40 widebody Airbus A350 aircraft, six of them being the -900 variant and the remaining 34 being the -1000 variant. The six A350-900s were built initially for Aeroflot but will be repainted into Air India colors quickly and ready to fly for the carrier before the end of this year.
Airbus will reportedly begin delivering the larger A350-1000 airplanes in 2025, and with an order of such size, the aircraft will likely become Air India’s flagship of the carrier’s fleet. 210 A320neo narrowbodies are also included in the order for short and medium-haul operations.
“Global growth and innovation”
On the heels of other orders, the wing-making facility has been increasing its headcount of workers, according to Business Live.
“This landmark deal between Air India, Airbus and Rolls-Royce demonstrates that the sky’s the limit for the UK’s thriving aerospace sector,” Sunak said. “The UK is already a top investment destination, and by building trade ties with growing economic powers like India we will ensure UK businesses remain at the forefront of global growth and innovation.”
The UK is also working toward a major goal to deliver several thousand dollars worth of goods and services annually to the world by 2030.
“This is a significant win for the UK’s world-leading aerospace sector and one which will help to secure thousands of highly skilled jobs across the country and drive economic growth,” said Kemi Bedenoch, UK Secretary of State for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy. “It’s a shot in the arm for UK exports as we aim to sell £1 trillion of goods and services a year to the world by the end of the decade.”
