Airbus announce huge £48m investment in Broughton factory

Airbus announces major investment in UK aerospace sector with more than £100m to keep Britain flying high

Aircraft manufacturer Airbus has today joined the United Kingdom and Welsh governments to announce a collaborative investment of more than £100 million in research, development and training which will ensure the UK continues to lead the world in aerospace.

The commitment by Airbus, the aerospace industry and the two governments will allow the UK to continue at the cutting edge of new technology and innovation.

The research and development elements of these projects will be carried out with the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI), a £2 billion joint investment between industry and government aimed at developing the research and development activity necessary for the UK to win work on future aerospace programmes.

Announcing the ATI funding at the Trade and Investment Summit in Newport, Prime Minister David Cameron said:

“Aerospace is a real cornerstone of British business, supporting over 100,000 jobs across the UK and is worth over £27bn to our economy every year. With today’s investment we are backing our aerospace sector so that it continues to thrive, as key part of our long-term economic plan to back business, create jobs and secure a brighter future for Britain.”

Also speaking at the summit, Wales’ First Minister Carwyn Jones AM said:

“Once again, this is an example of us supporting our anchor companies to succeed. The aerospace industry is so important to Wales and we need to make sure that the skills of our workforce move at the pace of technological development in this field.

Airbus President and CEO, Fabrice Brégier said:

“The success of Airbus relies on being an innovative company and the UK plays a pivotal role in this through its wing design and production activities.

“The British aerospace sector is a world leader and this investment by our government partners recognises the huge economic benefits of highly skilled, high value engineering. We have already invested significantly in our UK sites in the last decade and this announcement continues our commitment.”

Secretary of State for Wales Stephen Crabb said:

“Innovation and manufacturing are at the heart of the North Wales economy and Airbus is a fantastic success story for the area. Today’s announcement means the company can now manufacture more of the world’s most technologically advanced aircraft wings right here in Wales.

“Companies like Airbus are key to the success of our long term economic plan – helping us rebalance the economy and creating jobs and prosperity for people in Wales”

Around £64 million will support research and development through the Aerospace Technology Institute on a range of projects aimed at streamlining manufacturing processes and developing new technologies.

This includes three research and development projects looking at new technologies for the next generation of wing design and manufacturing, making them more efficient and providing further environmental improvements.

A total of £48 million is being invested in a project at the Broughton plant in North Wales which will develop new systems and technologies for building aircraft wings. This includes a proportion of funding provided collaboratively by Airbus and the government for research and development which will inform these changes.

The Welsh Government has also committed a further £8.1million over the next five years for training and upskilling of those already working in Welsh aerospace and will help train the Welsh workforce to fully exploit the investment in new technology.

10,000 people work at the two Airbus plants in Broughton, and Filton, Bristol the two UK plants are responsible for designing, testing and manufacturing the wings for the whole family of Airbus commercial airliners.

A further 100,000 people are employed through the extensive UK supply chain, which is worth around £2 billion annually to the British economy.