Airbus to rescue UK jobs after striking Boeing deal
The world’s biggest aircraft marker, Airbus, is set to announce the rescue of 2,750 UK manufacturing jobs after striking a long awaited deal with rival Boeing.
According to reports in The Sunday Times, Airbus will confirm as early as Monday that it will be taking on 1,550 people at a factory in Belfast, and 1,200 people for roles in Prestwick, Scotland, according to sources familiar with the situation.
The deal is carve out of Boeing’s takeover of Spirit Aero Systems, and will come as relief to thousands of UK aerospace workers whose futures were left uncertain after Boeing unveiled plans to acquire Spirit for $4.7bn (£3.5bn) last year.
Spirit owns both the factory in Belfast and the plant in Scotland which it acquired from defence darling BAE systems in 2006.
Belfast is home to a dedicated wing facility, while the Scotland plant produces leading and trailing edges of wings.
A series of short deals have kept staff in work while various parties worked to come to an agreement.
Sources said that Boeing is expected to retain the 2,000 staff not taken on by Airbus at Belfast, and those at Scotland whose employment will not transferred.
Airbus and Spirit problems
Boeing made the decision to reacquire Spirit after the mid-air blowout of a door plug on Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max aircraft in January 2024.
The programme was also rocked by two fatal crashes of the plane six months apart in 2018 and 2019.
However, Airbus has had its own difficulties, after a systems glitch at the end of last month forced airlines into hastily arranged software updates.
Completing the acquistion
Boeing said it would close its acquisition of Spirit by the end of the year after the US Federal Trade Commission gave the deal the green light.
Airbus said the FTC decision marked “a significant milestone that formalises the pathway for Airbus to acquire the Spirit capabilities that are essential to our commercial aircraft programmes.”