Airbus intends to cut more than 2,000 jobs in its space and defense segment, the European aerospace giant recently announced.
The cuts, Reuters reported, would amount to about 5% of the workforce in the division — the company’s second-largest — but it also represents hundreds fewer job reductions than originally anticipated.
Problems in its Satellite Business
Airbus earlier this year announced that it expected to slash some 2,500 jobs, or roughly 7% of the division’s workforce, amid problems in its satellite operations. The company, as well as Europe’s other major satellite manufacturers, has struggled amid growing competition from smaller satellites operating in low Earth orbit.
More than 1,100 Cuts in Space Systems
Instead, a total of 2,043 jobs will be cut, according to Reuters, led by more than 1,100 reductions in Airbus’ Space Systems business. Another 618 will be reduced at the division’s headquarters, and 250 more are on the chopping block at the company’s Air Power business.
The cuts, disclosed during meetings with Airbus employee unions, are scheduled to take effect by mid-2026.
A Multi-Company Satellite Initiative
The announcement followed a separate Reuters report that Airbus and fellow European satellite makers Thales and Leonardo would join forces in a bid to reverse the sector’s recent troubles.
Image credit: Sergey Kohl
