Plans to increase production of wings for the Airbus A220 at the Spirit Aerosystems site in Belfast have been revived, giving optimism for employment and a boost to the wider local economy.
The plans were originally submitted in 2019 when Spirit Aerosystems was owned by Bombardier, which made the C-Series wings at the site, however Airbus later took over the project and the C Series became the Airbus A220.
Spirit Aerosystems has since been taken over by Boeing, but the Belfast wing production site is being sold to Airbus to preserve its supply chain.
Airbus plans to produce up to 160 A220 wing sets in Belfast per year and will ramp production in phases with Phase one being broken into smaller sub-phases.
According to the submitted documents “The sub-phasing of phase 1 into 1a and 1b is a direct response to revised manufacturing targets, operational requirements, and the need for a flexible approach to facility expansion,”
“By subdividing phase 1, the project can deliver essential upgrades in phase 1a and thereby ensure immediate operational benefits. This approach provides greater operational flexibility and allows construction to align with current manufacturing demand.”
Airbus says that the long-term plan will facilitate and retain highly-skilled jobs at the site and keep the aerospace industry as a key area of Northern Ireland’s manufacturing industry.
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