Aerospace News – September 2026

Rolls-Royce is set to supply engines for a new fleet of Airbus A350-1000 aircraft being acquired by Philippine Airlines in a deal expected to be worth hundreds of millions of pounds.

The Derbyshire-based engineering group will provide 18 Trent XWB-97 engines to power nine aircraft, alongside a long-term maintenance agreement covering the engines throughout their operational lives.

Sourced from The Business Desk

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Airbus is investing £150m to expand aircraft wing production at its Broughton site in Flintshire, Wales, creating 480 new jobs.

The investment will convert a former A380 wing production facility into a new production line for the A321, with work expected to be completed by the end of 2026.

The refurbished facility will include six wing production jigs, an equipping line and paint shops. Of the 480 new roles, 250 will be based in the refurbished factory, adding to the 6,000 employees already working at Airbus’ Broughton site.

Sourced from Engineering Capacity

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Engineering giant Rolls-Royce has announced a £90m-plus investment in its Bristol site as part of £300m commitment to its UK manufacturing and engineering operations as the group prepares for further growth in its core aerospace and defence sectors.

The Filton plant, the home of Rolls-Royce’s UK military power and propulsion, will undergo a major facility upgrade programme to enhance operational delivery, digital security and programme output for customers.

It will support the more than 3,500 employees based on the site, including highly skilled engineers, and will be completed in 2031.

Sourced from TheBusinessDesk

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Vertical Aerospace, the South West firm pioneering zero-emission electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, has marked its transition from prototype development to commercial production by opening a dedicated aircraft assembly centre in the region.

The Bristol-headquartered company has invested £1.5m in the 60,000 sq. ft facility at Cotswold Airport, which will assemble its certification-conforming Valo aircraft ahead of production for initial customer deliveries.

The centre is designed to build more than 25 Valos annually during early production, with assembly of the first certification-conforming aircraft expected to begin in the fourth quarter of next year. Sourced from TheBusinessDesk