Airbus announces £150m investment and 480 new jobs in Wales
Nation.Cymru staff
Airbus is investing £150m in its north Wales factory as it creates around 480 new jobs and increases production to meet growing global demand for aircraft.
The aerospace giant is converting the former A380 wing production facility at its Broughton site into a production line for wings for the A321, the largest member of its best-selling A320 family of aircraft.
The work is expected to be completed by the end of the year and will include six production stations, a wing-equipping line and paint shop.
Airbus currently has orders for around 7,500 A320-family aircraft, around three-quarters of which are A321s, creating the need for increased manufacturing capacity.
The company is creating around 480 new jobs at Broughton during 2026, including 250 positions in the refurbished factory.
They will join around 6,000 people already employed at the Flintshire site, one of Airbus’s major manufacturing operations and a centre for the production of aircraft wings.
The first A321 wing is already being produced in the converted factory, with all six production stations expected to be operating by the end of the year.
Airbus said employees at Broughton had also been involved in designing the new production operation, including how equipment and technology would be arranged and used on the factory floor.
Jerome Blandin, Head of Airbus Wing, said: “We aren’t just talking about a ramp-up; we’re putting the infrastructure in place to support it.
“Around the world today, an A320 Family aircraft takes off or lands every two seconds, with wings designed and built in the UK.
“Investing in our capacity strengthens our industrial footprint, creates high value jobs that support the wider UK aerospace sector and ensures we remain competitive in the years to come.
“This investment is important for jobs, important for the region and important for our global ramp up towards rate 75.”
“Rate 75” refers to Airbus’s target of producing 75 A320-family aircraft a month as it works through its large order backlog.
The investment at Broughton forms part of the manufacturer’s wider plans to increase aircraft production around the world.
It follows a separate multi-million-pound investment announced for Airbus’s Belfast operation, where the company is expanding its wing manufacturing capacity to support increased production of its smaller A220 aircraft.
Ambition
Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy Adam Price welcomed the investment and said further jobs were expected next year.
He said: “Today’s announcement of 480 new jobs, with more to follow next year, is great news for North Wales and demonstrates Airbus’ long-term commitment to Wales.
“This announcement strongly supports our ambition to grow advanced manufacturing and re-industrialise Wales.”
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Airbus have a huge supply chain. WDA 2.0 should go to Toulouse on a charm offensive.
Although it’s good news, let’s hope those 480 new jobs at Airbus go to people predominantly living in Wales, so that the money stays in the area and supports the Welsh economy.
Good point. Too much anecdotal evidence of numbers crossing from Cheshire and beyond. Not so good if we become a Juarez to Cheshire’s El Paso
Not sure if you live in the area. I doubt it. In my cul de sac, I have one person who works in airbus. One works in vauxhall in Ellesmere port, one at Liverpool uni and one as a solicitor in chester. Having an argument about jobs only going to people one side of the border is not a good argument to have. You only need to have a look at the direction of traffic on the a55 in the morning or afternoon! For airbus, they’ll get the best people you can – that’s the way you keep a successful… Read more »
As long as the jobs stay in Wales, as opposed to workers being bussed in from across the border, I can’t object to this expansion. Some good news for industry at last.