Manufacturing & Supply Chain

Airbus is investing further in its UK innovation capabilities, with the opening of a new Wing Technology Development Centre (WTDC) at its Filton site, near Bristol. The facility will be used to build and test demonstrators for a range of programmes and research projects.

The new facility will help Airbus accelerate the design, build and testing of wings for next generation aircraft, by using the latest technology and world-leading demonstrators to further improve the performance of its wings. Alongside engine optimisation, making wings longer, leaner and lighter is one of the biggest opportunities to improve fuel efficiency, reduce CO2 and ultimately work towards the aviation industry’s ambition to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Airbus Head of Filton site and Wing of Tomorrow Programme Sue Partridge explains: “The new Wing Technology Development Centre will help us to ground our research in practicality. A key element of how we deliver technology for next generation aircraft wings is through Wing of Tomorrow (WoT), our largest research and technology programme led by the team in the UK.”

The WoT programme allows Airbus to explore new manufacturing and assembly technologies so future generations can continue to benefit from flying.

Sue Partridge adds: “It’s about preparing our people, technology, industrial system, supply chain and digital and physical capabilities for next generation aircraft. We’re leveraging industry partners and the very best digital tools and automation to identify potential technology bottlenecks that may slow us down in the future. The foundations we lay now will help us build better and faster when the time comes.”

The WTDC adds to Airbus’ existing research and technology footprint in the UK, including the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) in Broughton and both the ZEROe Development Centre and Aerospace Integrated Research & Test Centre (AIRTeC) at its Filton site.

Since 2014, Airbus has been awarded £117 million by the Aerospace Technology Institute for Wing of Tomorrow related research.

Airbus in Filton is an aeronautical innovation haven, home to a number of state-of-the-art facilities including the £40 million Aerospace Integrated Research and Test Centre (AIRTeC) facility that opened in 2021. The site employs more than 2,700 people across a variety of roles focussed on the development and test of wings, fuels systems and landing gears.

Half of the world’s air passengers fly on Airbus wings designed in Filton, England and manufactured in Broughton, Wales.