European aircraft manufacturer Airbus has announced that it will transfer its current pylon production from Wichita to a site in Toulouse, France. While this will see production moved across the Atlantic, Airbus has promised that this does not mean the manufacturer is leaving Wichita, and jobs are secure.

As reported by US news outlet KWCH, Airbus will move the pylon production to a site in Saint-Eloi, on the outskirts of Toulouse, France. This was due to the recent acquisition of Spirit AeroSystems, where Boeing and Airbus acquired different parts of the business relative to their models of aircraft.

Not A Goodbye

Airbus has worked closely with Spirit Aerosystems at their plant in Wichita; however, the movement of the A220 pylon manufacturing does not mean that Airbus is leaving town. Airbus has stressed that it will continue to grow jobs in the region and look into additional investments to remain committed to what is called the ‘Air Capital of the World’.

The aircraft pylons currently fabricated in Wichita are part of a strong aerodynamic component that is used to connect the aircraft’s engine to the wing. This supports the weight of the structure, and houses vital lines of fuel, hydraulics, electics and air. These are made of strong, lightweight materials, such as titanium and other composites.

Simple Flying reached out to Airbus for comment on the news, but their spokesperson did not immediately comment by the time this article was published.

4,000 New Colleagues At Airbus

Following the transaction where Airbus acquired the industrial assets dedicated to its aircraft programmes, Airbus welcomed 4,000 previous Spirit Aerosystems staff into the Airbus fold. These activities are of critical importance to the continuity of Airbus, including several assets which include

As part of the acquisition, Airbus received compensation to the amount of $439 million, which covered typical price adjustments and a post-closing review. Additionally, Airbus received a un-disclosed amoutn that will be secured to settle liabilities which were part of the provision of the purchase agreement.

Florent Massou, Executive Vice President Operations for the Commercial Aircraft business of Airbus, noted the closure of the transaction on December 8, as per an Airbus media release:

« This milestone marks a special moment for all of us at Airbus. We are proud to welcome over 4,000 new colleagues, with whom we will embark on a new chapter in our industrial operations by taking on activities of critical importance to our commercial aircraft programmes. »

The Airbus A220

Initially developed by Bombardier Aviation as the CS series, the aircraft type became the A220 after Airbus acquired a majority stake in the programme in July 2018. The A220 is a five-abreast narrow-body airliner that is positioned to operate regional, short, and medium-haul flights, and primary operators today include Delta Air Lines, JetBlue, airBaltic, and Air France.

Powering the A220 is the Pratt & Whitney PW1500G engine, which is a geared turbofan positioned under the wings of the twinjet. The aircraft offers a maximuym take off weight of up to 70.9 tonnes (156,000 lbs). There are two variants to the Airbus A220, which include the A220-100, a smaller version that seats between 108 and 133 passengers, while the larger A220-300 can seat between 130 and 160 passengers comfortably.

Delta Air Lines remains the world’s largest operator of the A220, with data from ch-aviation identifying that the Atlanta-based airline operates 82 of the aircraft. Overall, almost 1,000 have been ordered by operators around the world, with almost half of these already delivered.