Airbus in UK “to stay”

Airbus chief executive Gustav Humbert has said that Airbus will continue to operate in the UK.

Commenting on BAe System’s decision to sell its 20 per cent stake in Airbus to EADS, he said, “Airbus is in the United Kingdom to stay.”

Humbert said that although the prospect of the sale had been on the cards for a while, the timetable of the agreement had come as a complete surprise. However, he went on to say, ”Daily work in the UK will not be affected.”

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has lined up talks with EADS hoping to put safeguards in place to protect the 13,000 UK Airbus jobs at stake.