THE PRIME Minister has welcomed a momentous deal for Airbus and Rolls-Royce which will see them provide new aircraft for Air India.

Rishi Sunak has praised the deal which is said to be worth billions of pounds to the UK.

The agreement announced by the companies on Tuesday, Feburary 14, will support and create new highly skilled jobs in Flintshire and Derbyshire, helping to boost exports, grow the economy and level up the UK.

A significant portion of the manufacturing process for the new aircraft is expected to take place in the UK.

The wings will be designed in Filton, and assembled in Broughton – and it was announced last year that this is expected to bring an additional 450 manufacturing jobs and more than £100m of investment to Wales.

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The large A350 aircraft are exclusively powered by Rolls-Royce XWB engines, which are assembled and tested in Derby.

That news follows another boost for Broughton's Airbus factory who have also just announced that 60 jobs will soon be created when wing work is transferred over from Bremen, Germany.

In 2021, the UK’s world-class aerospace sector added £10.6bn in value to the UK economy, exported c.70% of its domestic output and directly employed 111,000 high-skilled people, 89% of which are outside London and the Southeast.

It is also a leading sector for high value apprenticeships, with 5,500 currently employed in the sector.

India is a major economic power, projected to be the world’s third largest economy with a quarter of a billion middle class consumers by 2050. UK Government is currently negotiating a free trade agreement that would boost our £29.6 billion trading relationship.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “This landmark deal between Air India, Airbus and Rolls-Royce demonstrates that the sky’s the limit for the UK’s thriving aerospace sector.

“It will create better-paid jobs and new opportunities in manufacturing hubs from Derby to Wales, so we can grow the economy and support our agenda to level up– helping to deliver on my five priorities for the country.

“The UK is already a top investment destination, and by building trade ties with growing economic powers like India we will ensure UK businesses remain at the forefront of global growth and innovation.”

The Leader:

PIC: The Airbus site in Broughton.

Welsh Secretary David TC Davies said: “I’m delighted to hear this excellent news for Airbus at Broughton. I visited their wing assembly facility in December last year and I was hugely impressed with the skill, dedication and professionalism of everyone that I met.

“Deals like this are vital for the continued success and growth of Airbus, which is such a vital employer in north Wales. Congratulations to everyone who has worked so hard to make this happen.”