The corona crisis hits the aviation industry with full force. Aircraft manufacturer Airbus expects the consequences for years to come – and now also wants to save on staff. Thousands of jobs are to be cut worldwide, one in three of them in Germany.
The aircraft manufacturer Airbus plans to cut 15,000 jobs worldwide due to the aviation crisis. In Germany alone, around 5,100 jobs are said to be affected, said the aircraft manufacturer with a control center in Toulouse, France. "The industry is in an unprecedented crisis," said a statement. Aviation is expected to not recover before 2023 and may not return to pre-Corona levels until 2025.
In Germany, the deletions are also said to affect positions of the Airbus subsidiary Premium Aerotec based in Augsburg. Airbus also plans to cut 5,000 jobs in France, 900 in Spain, 1,700 in the UK and 1,300 in other locations worldwide. The details of this plan would still have to be agreed with the social partners. Operational layoffs could not be ruled out, it said.
The alarm bells have been ringing at Airbus for some time. The group had previously announced that it would cut its production and deliveries by 40 percent for two years. The Airbus chief Guillaume Faury had not ruled out layoffs, especially since a second corona wave could worsen the hoped-for recovery. Airbus employs tens of thousands of people in Germany and has numerous locations – for example in Hamburg-Finkenwerder or Bremen.
All models remain, but reduced
Faury had previously given assurances that the final assembly line would not be closed due to the business being throttled. All models would continue to be produced, but at a slower pace. Only 40 of the best-selling A320 series are to be manufactured per month. Many finished aircraft are currently parked. The airlines do not initially accept them because of the slump in the market caused by the corona crisis.
The Frenchman Faury had already prepared the employees for tough times several times and spoke of an existential crisis. The next steps shouldn't be announced until July. The IG Metall union, for example, had already raised the alarm and warned of a clear cut. She suggested that the little work be divided among several people – a "collective reduction in working hours" based on the model of VW.
The aerospace and defense group Airbus, like the entire aviation industry, has experienced a severe crisis due to the Covid 19 pandemic. A few weeks ago, French President Emmanuel Macron announced a € 15 billion rescue package for the aviation industry. In France, almost 50,000 people work for Airbus alone.
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