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Airbus’s Welsh base takes flight
The First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones, officially opened Airbus’s new north factory at Broughton, north Wales on Thursday 13th October.
The new facility will build the wings of the new A350 aircraft and help to secure thousands of jobs. The aircraft is revolutionary as more than 50 per cent is made from composite materials, such as carbon fibre. This will help to reduce fuel consumption by up to 25 per cent compared with previous generations of aircraft.
The Welsh Government has invested £29 million in the 46,000 sq m factory to support employees, helping them retrain and have the skills needed to make the wings.
The First Minister signed a A350 wing which will be placed at the entrance of the building to commemorate the opening of the facility. He also met Airbus apprentices.
The First Minister said:
"This is a fantastic day for both Airbus and Wales. The wings being made here showcase us at our best – a world class company based here in Wales making a product that will be used across the globe.
"The Welsh Government has a very close and highly valued working relationship with Airbus which is an important company for the country. We have invested £29 million to ensure that the North Factory was opened here in Wales and that the new, significantly lighter A350 wings could be assembled at this site.
"Our investment has allowed staff to retrain in composites, allowing workers to upgrade their skills and transfer from metal to composite wings. This has enabled the safeguarding of a significant number of jobs. Our assistance has created highly transferable skills sought by the aerospace sector and created demand for training with education institutions.
"We are proud our partnership approach with Airbus, Glyndwr University and Deeside College to create the Advanced Composite Training and Development Centre next to this site, which has not only facilitated the training of Airbus staff to work in this wonderful new factory, but is also open for use by other businesses with an interest in new composite technologies.
"Our approach with Airbus shows how the Welsh Government is working to create the jobs and growth Wales needs to prosper in the modern world."