Airbus to Implement Significant Job Reduction, Affecting Over 2,000 Employees
Airbus, the aircraft manufacturer, has scaled back the number of job cuts in their defense and space division by around 20%. Nevertheless, Germany is expected to account for approximately one-third of the total redundancies.
After the unveiling of the restructuring plan to the works council, Thomas Pretzl, the council's chairman, announced 689 jobs in Germany, along with 1,354 roles in the UK, France, and Spain, are at risk. Pretzl assured that there would be no layoffs due to operational reasons before the negotiations commenced.
Airbus initially revealed plans to shed up to 2,500 jobs by mid-2026 in the division, but these numbers have now been revised down to a total of 2,043 roles, primarily in administrative and space-related positions. According to the works council, the German locations affected include Ottobrunn near Munich, Friedrichshafen on Lake Constance, Manching near Ingolstadt, Bremen, and Backnang and Ulm in Wuerttemberg.
Pretzl admitted that some sites will experience significant job losses, but he cautioned that these figures may still vary due to ongoing discussions between the company and the employees. He urged national and state authorities to "prepare accordingly for the jobs, sites, and technologies."
The European defense and space division of Airbus employs around 35,000 individuals. Despite strong business in military aircraft and cybersecurity, the space sector has recorded substantial losses in the first half of the year. The telecommunications and navigation satellite market is under pressure due to the rise of competition and emerging technologies. Elon Musk's SpaceX, currently the world's leading satellite operator, is a major competitor in this sector. The traditional geostationary satellite market in high orbit has diminished by half over the past few years. Airbus aims to provide more autonomy to different segments of the aerospace industry and modernize its organizational structure to remain competitive in the rapidly evolving market.
Despite the revised job cuts, Dax companies like Airbus still plan to severely affect certain locations, with alterations in numbers potentially still on the table. The German divisions of Dax companies, such as Airbus in Ottobrunn near Munich and others, are among those at risk.
