Hamburg Boosts Aerospace Player Status With A3XX Site

The city parliament of Hamburg, Germany, has agreed to expansion plans for the EADS Airbus GmbH manufacturing site that will help produce the A3XX plane. Municipal lawmakers passed a US$510 million budget for infrastructure improvements. The expansion means that Hamburg will become one of three major civil aircraft construction centers worldwide, along with Seattle and Toulouse, according to EADS (European Aeronautic, Defense and Space Co.) member DaimlerChrysler. Recent news reports said the site would have less of a role in the wide-jet's production than originally planned, but EADS spokesman Rainer Ohler says that is untrue. Ohler says plans for producing the 555-seat plane have not changed, and that the Hamburg Airbus plant would, as was agreed in mid-June, be responsible for the interior and the paint job for the jet. EADS expects production of the A3XX to lead to the creation of 4,000 new jobs in Hamburg.