Millions of passengers going through Bristol Airport are to get a larger-than-life view of some of the individuals who are helping to make Airbus’s Filton plant a world centre for aerospace engineering.
A 43-metre long poster stretching the length of the corridor leading to the departure gates features 25 Airbus employees from the various departments at the plant, which designs, tests and builds wings for all Airbus aircraft.
The poster was launched yesterday, giving the 25 staff their first chance to see the finished work in situ for the first time. They had been photographed individually against green screens, with the design agency placing their enlarged images into the poster along with their names, roles and why, in their own words, they are proud to work for Airbus.
Airbus UK head of communications Jeff Burridge said: “We often talk about Filton designing and engineering all the wings for Airbus’s family of aircraft – 1,000 every year. But Airbus is also a family of people and our success in developing these world-class wings is down to our 4,000 people at Filton.
“We are very proud of our people and we think we’ve got a great story to tell.”
Mr Burridge said when he returned to the UK two years ago after working at Airbus’s Toulouse head office, he was surprised that many people did not know about the firm’s world-beating wing technology or the pivotal role played by Filton.
“The airport handles more than 6m passengers every year, so it’s the ideal location to let people know how important Airbus in Filton is to the South West economy.”
The poster launches Airbus’s ‘We’re proud to give the world wings’ campaign which celebrates all their employees. Next year Airbus opens its multi-million pound state-of-the-art aerospace business park at Filton which, in part, will use the site’s original building dating back to the birth of UK aviation. The aerospace park will bring together all engineers, designers and support departments such as HR, marketing, finance in one place and allow Airbus to lift the profile of the site as a world-leading centre for wing development.
One of the 25 Airbus employees taking part in the campaign is HR manager Lesley Bovington, who said: “Our people are vital to the success of our business and to celebrate their talent and raise awareness of what we do in Filton is fantastic.
“And being involved has been great fun and a unique experience for me – I can’t wait to see the surprise on my friends’ faces when they see me on the poster.”
Airbus future projects manager Ian Marr added: “I’m really proud to work for Airbus and I’m pleased to have been involved in such an innovative campaign at Bristol airport – this is something quite different for Airbus in the UK.”
Bristol Airport chief executive Robert Sinclair, who welcomed the Airbus poster girls and boys to the launch event, said: “We are delighted to see Airbus showcasing the skills and expertise of their team in the terminal.
“Our passengers do not always realise that many of the aircraft they board at Bristol Airport have been designed and tested by people living and working here in the South West. The new campaign underlines the importance of aviation in this region.”
Below. High fliers: Airbus employees Ian Marr, Gemma Quayle and Alex Griffen officially launch the Airbus campaign poster ‘We’re proud to give the world wings’ campaign at Bristol Airport, with their poster images behind them
