Airbus has started talks with employee groups from across its European sites during the European Works Council meeting over “redeployment” of workers during the A380 program transition, the company said in a written statement issued Tuesday. The talks follow the company’s February 14 announcement that it would cease deliveries of the A380 in 2021. Seventeen A380s remain scheduled for delivery, and the company will need to continue supporting the fleet into the foreseeable future. 

Airbus said that the program cancellation would likely result in the loss of between 3,000 and 3,500 jobs over the next three years. It stressed that the number equates to less than 3 percent of its global workforce and consists of some 1,300 blue collar jobs and 2,100 management positions. Estimates call for the loss of some 500 to 600 jobs in the UK, 400 to 500 in Spain, 1,100 to 1,200 in Germany, and 1,100 to 1,200 in France. 

During the meeting, Airbus also presented its so-called roadmap for the A380 program, including plans for the smooth transition of serial production, encompassing industrial and procurement adaptation and in-service support.

In an effort to offer some perspective on the magnitude of the A380 cancellation effects, Airbus said about 12,000 Airbus employees change jobs every year, and that the ongoing single-aisle rate increase and strong widebody backlog will result in a “significant number of internal mobility opportunities.”

“In addition, Airbus will put in place dedicated services for competence reconversion to further support cross-functional and cross-program redeployments,” it said. “Airbus is dedicated to managing industrial adaptations responsibly and successfully, as demonstrated in the past.”