Airbus Slows Wing Production In U.K. And Germany As It Adapts To Coronavirus

Having re-opened its production lines in France and Spain, Airbus has now announced slow-down of its wing production in Germany and the U.K.

The facilities in France and Spain were closed for four days so that they could be adapted to comply with new health and safety protocols that would help stem the spread of coronavirus, and re-opened on Monday, March 23.

The manufacturers other facilities in Germany, U.K. and U.S. remained open at normal production rates. Now, the production rates and production related activities at the company’s wing lines in Bremen, Germany, and Filton and Broughton in the U.K. will be reduced for a period of three weeks. The Easter holiday will be extended at Broughton and Filton and the work week at Bremen will be reduced.

“The sites will remain open during this period and will continue to ensure wing deliveries to the final assembly lines, the receipt and control of materials and components from the supply chain, building and installation maintenance, critical administrative support and preparation for activity restart,” Airbus states. “Employees will continue to perform activities remotely via home-working where their activities are not directly related to the production activity being adapted.”

This slow down will help Airbus adjust existing stock levels to the rate of production at the final assembly lines, while following the implementation of the new health and safety measures.

Airbus has committed to business continuity across its global stream. The European airframe manufacturer announced this week that it had $32 billion in liquidity to sustain its operation through this crisis.

The company also continues to support its customers and assist communities affected by the coronavirus crisis, including by creating air bridges to support the supply of critical materials.

On Tuesday, March 24, an Airbus A400 airliner helped transport urgently needed masks from Toulouse to the Gentafe Air Base in Madrid. These masks were part of a shipment of 2 million masks that were transported over the weekend from Tianjin, China, to Europe on an Airbus A330-800 test aircraft.