The European Investment Bank (EIB) announced on Monday that it has provided Airbus with the largest corporate loan in its history, amounting to €3 billion. This funding is aimed at supporting Airbus’s planned investments in both civil and military aviation systems by 2030.
The investment projects will take place in France, Germany, and Spain, which are the founding countries of Airbus and have significant stakes in the company, at 10.8%, 10.8%, and 4.1% respectively. Poland was also expected to become a shareholder, as reported by “Le Monde” over a year ago. Currently, Airbus employs 800 people across four facilities in Poland, although the investment has not yet been finalized.
On Monday, the first tranche of the loan, amounting to €1 billion, was signed in Brussels. Airbus’s Chief Financial Officer Thomas Toepfer remarked that research in the civil and defense sectors is a true driving force behind the European industry.
Toepfer noted, “Thanks to exceptionally attractive terms and vast flexibility in financing, we gain full freedom in managing our balance sheet. We can minimize our debt maintenance costs and invest freely in long-term, space-related innovations,” as highlighted in the announcement.
Record EIB Loan
This loan is the largest ever approved for a business by the EIB. The bank of the European Union emphasized that the loan’s value reflects the scale of investments needed for Airbus to compete in the global market.
The funding will support new generation civil aviation technologies, defense and security systems, space technologies, advanced manufacturing systems, emission-reducing aviation technologies, as well as integrated and networked aviation systems.
Airbus’s main competitor is the American company Boeing, which regained its market leader status last year, although it only returned to profitability in 2022. In contrast, Airbus has been consistently profitable since 2021.
