Airbus unveils plans to cut jobs in defence and space division
Aircraft manufacturer Airbus revealed on October 16 that it plans to cut up to 2,500 positions until mid-2026 in its Defence and Space division.
It comes in the "light of a continued complex business environment, especially in the Space Systems segment where significant financial charges were recorded in 2023 and 2024," the company said.
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Compulsory actions are not planned and the Dutch-headquartered group will work with its social partners to limit the impact, it added.
The division reportedly employs around 135,000 people across 35 countries. there are around 50,000 in Germany and reportedly about 12,000 in the UK.
Mike Schoellhorn, Airbus Defence and Space CEO, said: "In recent years, the defence and space sector and, thus, our Division have been impacted by a fast changing and very challenging business context with disrupted supply chains, rapid changes in warfare and increasing cost pressure due to budgetary constraints.
"While transformation efforts initiated in 2023 have started bearing fruit, particularly on operational performance and risk management, we are now taking the next steps, not least to adjust to an increasingly difficult space market.
"We want to shape the Division so it can act as a leading and competitive player in this ever-evolving market. This requires us to become faster, leaner and more competitive.
He added: "Airbus has a long track record of acting as a responsible employer in difficult situations and this time will be no different.
"It is clear though that we must adapt if we want to champion our industry and lead Europe’s ecosystem of Defence Aerospace."
