Type
Internal restructuring
Country
European Union
Region
Location of affected unit(s)
France and Germany
Sector
Manufacturing
Manufacture For Transport Equipment
Manufacture Of Other Transport Equipment
30.30 - Manufacture of air and spacecraft and related machinery

588 jobs
Number of planned job losses
Job loss
Announcement Date
9 October 2021
Employment effect (start)
Foreseen end date
31 December 2022

Description

The rocket launcher ArianeGroup, formerly Airbus Safran Launchers, has announced that it will cut up to 600 jobs in Europe by the end of 2022. The company is to implement a voluntary departure programme at its units across Germany and France.

The restructuring programme will affect all positions, except workshop staff, and aims to help the company compete with SpaceX and its reusable launchers.

ArianeGroup is developing the 'Ariane 6' heavy launcher, however the inaugural launch has been postponed to the second quarter of 2022 due to technical difficulties. In July 2021, the company concluded an agreement with the European Space Agency (ESA) which would provide additional funding of €140 million a year to ensure the economic viability of Ariane 6.

Founded in 2015, ArianeGroup is a joint venture of the European aerospace company Airbus and the French group Safran. ArianeGroup operates in three fields: aerospace (orbital propulsion systems and equipment), aerospace defence, and security. Currently, the company employs about 7,600 employees in Germany and France.

A previous restructuring programme was announced in January 2019 (2,300 jobs cut in Germany and France).

Updated, 09/10/2021:ArianeGroup has announced that it will cut 588 jobs by the end of 2022, including 530 in France and 58 in Germany.


Sources

Citation

Eurofound (2021), ArianeGroup, Internal restructuring in European Union, factsheet number 105404, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/105404.