Airbus is investing £150 million to transform its former A380 wing production facility at Broughton in North Wales into a new production line for A321 wings, as the manufacturer prepares for a major increase in A320 Family production.
The investment will see the former A380 facility converted into a dedicated A321 wing production operation, with the work scheduled for completion by the end of 2026.
For Airbus, the move is about putting additional production capacity in place to meet demand for the A320 Family, and particularly the A321, which now accounts for around 70% of the manufacturer’s backlog of approximately 7,500 A320 Family aircraft.
For Broughton, it represents another significant vote of confidence in the future of the site and its role within Airbus’ global manufacturing network.
Once the conversion is complete, the facility will contain six wing production jigs, an equipping line and a paint shop specifically designed to support A321 production. The first wing is already under construction, with all six jigs expected to be operational by the end of the year.
The scale of the investment also underlines how important the A321 has become to Airbus. The aircraft has become a central part of the A320 Family, offering airlines additional capacity and range while retaining the commonality that has helped make the wider family so successful.
That demand is creating pressure throughout Airbus’ production system, including at Broughton, where the wings for Airbus’ commercial aircraft are designed and manufactured.
Airbus says around 480 new high-value jobs are being created across the Broughton site during 2026, including 250 positions associated with the refurbished factory.
Those new roles will join a workforce of around 6,000 people at Broughton, strengthening the site’s position as one of the UK’s most important aerospace manufacturing locations.
The new production environment has also been developed with direct input from Airbus employees. Operators from across the site have been involved in shaping the ergonomics and technology integration of the new industrial system, with the aim of creating a more advanced manufacturing environment while supporting the production ramp-up.
“This investment is important for jobs, important for the region and important for our global ramp up towards rate 75,” said Jerome Blandin, Head of Airbus Wing.
He added that the investment was about putting the infrastructure in place to support Airbus’ production ambitions, noting that an A320 Family aircraft takes off or lands somewhere in the world approximately every two seconds, with its wings designed and built in the UK.
The reference to Airbus’ planned ‘rate 75’ production target is significant. The company is working towards increasing A320 Family production to 75 aircraft per month, and expanding wing production capacity is an important part of ensuring that the wider industrial system can support those ambitions.
For the UK aerospace industry, the investment also demonstrates the continuing importance of Broughton within Airbus’ global supply chain.
The £150 million project follows a separate multi-million-pound investment at Airbus’ Belfast facility, where the company is expanding its wing manufacturing footprint and advanced composite capabilities to support the production ramp-up of the A220.
Together, the investments in Broughton and Belfast represent further expansion of Airbus’ UK industrial footprint at a time when demand for its single-aisle aircraft remains strong.
The transformation of the former A380 facility is particularly symbolic. A production area once dedicated to the wings of Airbus’ largest passenger aircraft is now being repurposed to support the company’s best-selling single-aisle family.
For Broughton and its workforce, however, the change is about much more than replacing one aircraft programme with another. The investment provides additional production capacity, creates hundreds of skilled jobs and reinforces the site’s role in the next phase of Airbus’ commercial aircraft production.
With the first A321 wing already underway and the new production jigs due to become operational by the end of the year, the latest investment is set to play a key role in Airbus’ efforts to increase A320 Family output — with UK-built wings continuing to form a critical part of the aircraft that connect airlines and passengers around the world.