During a meeting of the European Works Council on April 21, 2021, Airbus announced the creation of two new companies in France and Germany to bring the aerostructure activities of its two subsidiaries Stelia and Aerotec under its wing.
To do so, two aerostructure assembly companies will be created on each side of the Rhine. “The new company in France would bring together the activities currently managed within Airbus in Saint-Nazaire and Nantes together with those of STELIA Aerospace worldwide,” explains Airbus. “Another company in Germany would bring the activities of Stade and Structure Assembly of Hamburg together with those of Premium AEROTEC in Nordenham, Bremen and partly in Augsburg.”
The two companies, both 100% owned by Airbus, would regroup around 12,000 and 7,000 employees respectively. According to the manufacturer, the operation will have no impact on employees.
The goal is to not have the two subsidiaries work as suppliers anymore, but instead “integrate them within the Airbus perimeter, simplifying both governance and interfaces in a new industrial setup.”
A third entity, dedicated to the assembly of “detail parts,” should also be created in Germany, stemming from Premium AEROTEC. “This new entity, with its scale and advanced technologies, would be empowered to capitalize on the significant long-term growth prospects with Airbus as well as external customers, on both civil and military platforms,” explained the manufacturer.
The reorganization, made possible by the drop in demand due to the ongoing pandemic, should help Airbus cope with both Boeing’s future comeback after it solves two crises affecting the 737 MAX and the 787 and the emergence of a new player, the Chinese COMAC, whose C919 is almost certified.
In 2020, Airbus recorded a net loss of €1.3 billion, with a drop of 29% of its turnover for all divisions combined to €49.9 billion. “Many uncertainties remain for our industry in 2021 as the pandemic continues to impact lives, economies, and societies,” commented Airbus Chief Executive Officer Guillaume Faury when presenting the results. “Over the longer term, our ambition is to lead the development of a sustainable global aerospace industry.”