Airbus is facing the prospect of a global production slowdown after workers at its flagship UK site voted overwhelmingly to strike in a dispute over pay.
More than 3,000 members of the Unite union at the Broughton plant in North Wales – which builds wings for all Airbus commercial jets – will stage a 10-day walkout next month unless agreement is reached. The site is a crucial cog in Airbus’s global supply chain, supplying components to assembly lines in France, Germany, the US and China.
The union has warned that the action could “bring jet production to a standstill” at a time when Airbus is under pressure to ramp up output and work through a record backlog of orders. Airbus delivered 735 aircraft last year and is targeting at least 820 deliveries in 2025, with plans to reach 75 aircraft per month of its best-selling A320neo family by 2027.
The industrial action follows months of negotiations between management and the union. Airbus tabled a 3.6 per cent rise for 2025 followed by 3.15 per cent in 2026 – an offer accepted by more than 3,000 white-collar staff – but Unite rejected the deal in favour of a one-year settlement.
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