Airbus announces 25 plane deal with United Airlines

The European based plane manufacturer, Airbus, has revealed this week that they have wrapped a deal with United Airlines of the US, for 25 new A350XWB planes. The deal is thought to be worth more than £6 billion and will help the UK economy and job market as it will secure the jobs of those who work at the Broughton plant in the UK, where they make the wings.

Bosses at the Broughton plant are said to be very happy with the news of the order from United. The planes will be due to be started next year with a completion and delivery date of 2016. The senior vice-president at Airbus, Brian Fleet, said that this will secure the jobs of up to 1,200 people at the Broughton plant.

The A350s can hold more than 300 passengers and have a range of 9,000 miles, which means there will be fewer stopovers for long haul routes using the jets. The latest models are also lighter than their previous planes, which will make them more fuel efficient and easier on the pocket for the airline.

The order could not come at a better time for the manufacturer who have just seen their US rivals, Boeing make the test flight in the long awaited Dreamliner. The Boeing 787 took off from an airfield near Seattle this week after becoming almost two years behind schedule. It has also been designed as a lighter aircraft to save on fuel and the environment. There are more than 800 on order and they hope to start rolling them out by the end of next year.