Airbus is investing £150m to convert its former A380 wing production facility in Broughton, Wales into an A321 wing line, a move that gives the aerospace supply chain a concrete signal of how fast wing manufacturing capacity is being repurposed to meet a backlog of around 7,500 A320 Family aircraft, most of them A321s.

Once complete by year end, the refurbished facility will house six wing production jigs, an equipping line and a paint shop, with the first wing already underway and all jigs expected to be operational by then.

The investment has created around 480 new, high-value jobs at Broughton in 2026, including 250 roles in the refurbished factory, adding to the site's existing 6,000-strong workforce; the new manufacturing environment was designed with direct input from operators on ergonomics and technology integration.

The Broughton investment follows Airbus's recently announced expansion of its Belfast wing facility, which is adding composite manufacturing capacity to support A220 production ramp-up, and mirrors a similar repurposed A380 line at Toulouse being converted into a second A321-capable assembly line.

Airbus, headquartered in Toulouse, France, is a global aerospace manufacturer; Broughton is known as its 'Home of Wings' and has produced wings for Airbus aircraft for decades.

Jerome Blandin, head of Airbus Wing, said the company is putting the infrastructure in place to support a production ramp-up, noting that an A320 Family aircraft, with wings designed and built in the UK, takes off or lands somewhere in the world every two seconds. He said investing in capacity strengthens Airbus's industrial footprint and creates high-value jobs supporting the wider UK aerospace sector.

The investment reflects Airbus's wider preference for repurposing existing wing and final assembly infrastructure, including a similar former A380 line at Toulouse, rather than building new capacity to hit its rate 75 target by 2027.

The urgency reflects a backlog that has swelled past 8,500 single-aisle jets, with current output running at around 60 to 65 aircraft a month, short of the rate 75 target, and constrained by ongoing CFM LEAP-1A engine supply shortages.

For the sector, back-to-back UK wing investments at Broughton and Belfast this year reinforce the UK's position as Airbus's primary wing manufacturing base as the group scales production globally.

Source: Airbus / Leeham News / Aerospace Global News