Airbus to cut 15,000 jobs worldwide as sector flails over Covid-19

Paris

Aeroplane manufacturer Airbus says it plans to cut 15,000 jobs worldwide due to the coronavirus crisis' effects on the aviation industry. "We actually wanted to avoid such a situation," Airbus CEO Guillarume Faury said in a call with journalists. He defended the cuts as necessary for protecting the long-term future of the company.

The manufacturer based in Toulouse, France, says that it has begun discussions with social partners and aims to reach an agreement by autumn 2020. It hopes to implement its job cut plans by summer 2021. France and Germany make up the bulk of the cuts, with each set to see about 5,000 jobs cuts. Some 1,700 jobs in Britain and 900 in Spain will also be slashed, with the remaining 1,300 spread worldwide.