Airbus’s top UK boss Paul Kahn has left the group and his role has been scrapped in a move that has raised concerns among some industry watchers that British influence in European-owned aerospace giant is being reduced ahead of Brexit.
Airbus in the UK will now be head by Katherine Bennett, who is based at its giant Filton plant. She has been promoted to the newly created post of senior vice-president, Airbus in the UK. 
The French-German owned group employs around 4,000 people at Filton, which is its global centre of excellence for wing design, development and testing. A further 6,000 are employed at a sister plant in Broughton, North Wales, where wings designed at Filton are manufactured.
Airbus bosses were outspoken in their support for the UK remaining in the EU ahead of last year’s referendum.
According to industry insiders, Mr Kahn, pictured, – who held the title of CEO and president Airbus Group UK – left Airbus by mutual agreement.
In the just under three years since he joined from French defence giant Thales he lead the integration of a number of Airbus businesses in the UK, creating a more collaborative-based group.
He secured the group’s first funding for rotary wing technology development in UK and aerospace technology funding for its Zephyr solar-powered high-altitude unmanned system.
One industry insider said: “He leaves a business in far better shape operationally and one that is stronger and that is growing with greater confidence within Airbus global operating activities. Airbus UK performs very well within the larger Airbus Group and it is today leaner and fitter than it was.”
Airbus is making more than 1,100 staff redundant in a major shake-up as undergoes a group-wide restructuring, merging its aircraft, defence and space businesses to save costs. 
Ms Bennett will report directly to Airbus chief executive Tom Enders. He said: “As Airbus is making great progress with its integration, I congratulate Katherine on her promotion within the new organisation.
“During her more than a decade at Airbus, Katherine has worked tirelessly to build support and understanding of the company among the UK government and other stakeholders, and I am looking forward to working with her more closely in this new role.”
The chief executive also paid tribute to Mr Khan’s “hard and successful work” during this time with the business, adding he had “provided strong leadership on a number of very challenging topics faced by Airbus in the UK, while championing UK industry and engineering”.
One industry expert said: “The president’s role was to speak up for the UK division, and that’s being restructured out.
“I think it’s a sign of reduced British influence in the group.” Airbus has denied it is downgrading its UK operations, which contribute an estimated £8bn to the UK economy and employ many thousands of people in its supply chain.
Mr Enders said last month that Airbus’s UK plants were among its most competitive and warned against harming that advantage through restrictions on people or goods. Airbus sold its wing manufacturing operations at Filton to GKN Aerospace in 2008 – a move that transferred a huge section of the plant and around 1,800 people to the UK-owned engineering group.
However, Airbus has continued to invest heavily in the plant, creating a world-class wing design and engineering facility responsible for the wings of its A350 jetliner and the A400M military transporter, which it also assembles on the site.
Construction work is underway on an industry-leading £38m wing structure test centre at the plant, where around two hundred engineers will work on advanced testing of large structural components.
It will enable Airbus and its partners to develop new and cutting-edge ideas for wings of the future, helping underpin the UK as one of the world’s leading aerospace sectors.
The centre, which will open next year, will feature the latest stress-testing technology to speed up and improve structural testing of Airbus aircraft wings, fuel systems and landing gear.
Ms Bennett, pictured, was previously senior vice-president, public affairs, a role which saw her dealing with government. In her newly created role she will report directly to Mr Enders.
She joined Airbus in 2004 from Vauxhall/General Motors UK, where fhe worked for nearly nine years and headed its government affairs function. Her time with GM included several months based in the US.
She became Airbus UK director of communications and government affairs in 2007 and then vice president, head of political affairs for Airbus SAS in October 2010.
She was awarded the Order of the British Empire in June 2004 for services to industry and charity. Since 2008 she has been a member of the UKTI Advanced Engineering Board and is also chair of the Council of Flying Matters – an aviation industry group.
In December 2010 she was appointed as a business representative on the interim board of the newly created West of England Local Enterprise Partnership.
