Airbus order from Indonesia safeguards UK jobs, says Cameron

Garuda Airlines is buying 11 A330 planes. Design and manufacturing work will be done in Bristol and North Wales

Prime Minister David Cameron has welcomed a £326 million order for Airbus from an Indonesian airline. Garuda is to buy 11 A330 planes, safeguarding thousands of UK jobs.

The announcement came as the Prime Minister arrived in Indonesia on the latest leg of his South East Asia trade mission. Cameron said: “This deal between Airbus and Garuda Indonesian Airlines is good news for the UK aerospace industry.

“It will safeguard jobs at the design facility near Bristol and the manufacturing plant in Broughton in North Wales. It is testament to the expertise of Airbus's British workforce and a vote of confidence in Britain's manufacturing base.

“I hope it will offer other British companies involved in the £1.5 billion supply chain the opportunity to secure more contracts.” Some 10,000 jobs in the UK are linked to Airbus.

Speaking after the announcement on the tarmac at Halim Perdanakusuma Airport, Cameron said: “I said I wanted to link Britain up to the fastest-growing parts of the world, because we need to trade and export our way out of our economic difficulties. Well, Indonesia is one of the fastest-growing countries in the world.

“It will be a top 10 economy and these are huge opportunities for British business and British investment, both in Indonesia and Indonesian investment back into Britain.

“We need to recognise that so much of the power in the world is going to be to the south and to the east and we need to rebuild those relationships. We've got a good standing here because we're one of the largest investors into Indonesia, but we could be doing far better in terms of our exports and sales.”

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