Airbus is to create 200 jobs at Filton due to demand for its new A350 airliner, it confirmed today.
The plane, which will use lightweight composite wings designed and part-built in Bristol, was due to come into service in 2013 but will has been delayed to the first half of 2014.
Airbus has more than 550 orders from airlines for the A350 – which can carry 340 passengers.
The announcement came as Business Secretary Vince Cable was visiting Airbus this morning to talk about a conditional offer of funding from the government’s £1.4bn Regional Growth Fund which was announced last month.
Airbus head of engineering at Filton Neil Scott said the engineers being recruited will work on the next generation of the A350, on further refining the A380 superjumbo – world’s latest passenger plane – and on helping creating the A320neo, which will use Filton-designed fuel-saving wing tips.
