The Airbus management has decided to halt the production of parts for the Airbus 380 at three plants in Spain, a measure which will affect 455 workers.
The workers at the three plants, in Getafe (181), Puerto Real (155) and Illescas (119), will no longer be working full-time as from December 1st. The situation will be reviewed in January and it is only being seen as a temporary measure.
The problem is that production of parts for the giant plane have been such that there is now a stockpile, enough to build three units. In view of the current economic crisis, the company has decided to use up existing stocks rather than add more to the stockpile.
The A380 airliner is the largest in the world, more than 80 metres in length, with a two-story cabin, a capacity to carry between 550 and 800 passengers and a range of 15,200 kilometers. The first units were delivered to Singapore Airlines and Qantas.
Air France will be the first European company to receive an A380. In Spain, only one firm order has been made for the plane, Marsans having ordered four of the aircraft. Airbus belongs to the European aeronautics consortium EADS, in which Spain holds a 5.5% stake.