Farnborough Airshow 2008 Airbus’s negotiations to sell a large part of its UK manufacturing site in the west of England to GKN, the UK aerospace supplier, have run into difficulties which are threatening to jeopardise investments for future Airbus aircraft programmes in Britain.
Concerns about the possible breakdown of negotiations have been raised in talks between John Hutton, business minister, and the two companies. The UK government is considering more than £100m ($199m) in financial support for Airbus to develop its A350 family of long-range jets and the manufacture of composite wing components for the A350 at Filton, near Bristol, if the deal goes ahead. Tom Enders, Airbus chief executive, said at the weekend: “We still have some significant hurdles to overcome. I would not guarantee there is a deal to come.”
