Airbus Opens New Technology Hub At Filton Site To Design Wings For Next Generation Aircrafts

Airbus SE EADSY EADSF is investing further in its U.K. innovation capabilities, with the opening of a new Wing Technology Development Centre (WTDC) at its Filton site in southwest England. 

The new facility will help Airbus accelerate the design of wings for next-generation aircraft. Nusrat Ghani, U.K. Minister of State at the Department for Business and Trade, opened the facility. 

Alongside engine optimization, making wings longer, leaner and lighter is one of the most significant opportunities to improve fuel efficiency.

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"The new Wing Technology Development Centre will help us to ground our research in practicality. A key element of how we deliver technology for next generation aircraft wings is through Wing of Tomorrow (WoT), our largest research and technology programme led by the team in the UK," Airbus Head of Filton site and Wing of Tomorrow Programme Sue Partridge explains. 

The development follows Boeing Company's BA plans to launch an elongated, ultra-light concept called Transonic Truss-Braced Wings, Reuters notes. Airbus, however, is facing challenges in bringing down costs. 

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Since 2014, Airbus has been awarded £117 million by the Aerospace Technology Institute for Wing of Tomorrow-related research, the company said.

The WTDC adds to Airbus' existing research and technology footprint in the U.K., including the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) in Broughton and both the ZEROe Development Centre and Aerospace Integrated Research & Test Centre (AIRTeC) at its Filton site. 

Price Action:  EADSY shares closed higher by 0.22% to $36.22 on Monday.