Airbus Defence and Space announced on February 19 that it has entered into a consultation process with the company’s European works council on the division’s plans to slash over 2,000 positions.
As detailed by the company, the plan is to lay off a total of 2,362 workers by the end of 2021.
Of those, 829 workers would be laid off in Germany, 357 in UK, 630 in Spain, 404 in France and 142 in other countries.
Airbus said that, while its core business remained solid, the cuts became necessary after the division achieved a book-to-bill ratio below 1 for the third year in a row, “mainly caused by a flat space market and postponed contracts on the defense side”.
The company added that efforts to improve profitability would be supported by further measures to increase long-term competitiveness and safeguard the division’s future positioning.
The need for restructuring was first announced in December 2019 and emphasized also during the company’s annual press conference in Toulouse on February 13. Airbus Defence and Space said it would provide updates on its plans and continue the dialogue with employee representatives.
“Further financial implications are under assessment and will be communicated at a later stage,” the company further said.
