Airbus is planning to reduce its global workforce by cutting 15,000 jobs. The decision was taken after the coronavirus pandemic and the decrease in demand for new commercial aircraft. The positions – including 1,700 in the UK – will go by next summer. Commercial aircraft business activity has dropped by nearly 40% in recent months due to the “unprecedented crisis”, Airbus said.
Airbus is facing the gravest crisis this industry has ever experienced and is adopting more far-reaching measures
The company said additional measures were needed since the air traffic is not expected to recover to pre-COVID levels before 2023, or even 2025. A total of 5,000 positions in France, 5,100 in Germany, and 900 in Spain will be cut, along with 1,300 roles at other Airbus sites around the world. These figures include the Airbus subsidiaries Stelia in France and Premium AEROTEC in Germany. However, approximately 900 positions were excluded, stemming from a pre-COVID-19 identified need to restructure Premium AEROTEC in Germany, which will now be implemented within the frame of this global adaptation plan.
Airbus chief executive, Guillaume Faury stated, “The measures we have taken so far have enabled us to absorb the initial shock of this global pandemic. Now, we must ensure that we can sustain our enterprise and emerge from the crisis as a healthy, global aerospace leader, adjusting to the overwhelming challenges of our customers”
“We thank our governmental partners as they help us preserve our expertise and know-how as much as possible and have played an important role in limiting the social impact of this crisis in our industry,” he added.
Airbus said it would work with its social partners to limit the impact of this plan by relying on all available social measures, including voluntary departures, early retirement, and long-term partial unemployment schemes wherever needed.
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