The European Investment Bank (EIB) has agreed up to €3 billion in financing for Airbus research and development, starting with a €1 billion loan signed in Brussels on Monday.
The funding will support Airbus’ planned investments through to 2030 in advanced technologies and integrated systems for commercial aircraft, as well as security and defence systems, the EIB announced.
Projects supported by the financing are expected to be located across France, Germany and Spain.
EIB President Nadia Calviño said at the signing ceremony in Brussels that the operation was approved in about six months from the request.
First €1 billion tranche signed in Brussels
The €1 billion loan is the first tranche under the wider €3 billion “envelope”, which the EIB described as its largest corporate loan ever authorised.
Airbus chief financial officer Thomas Toepfer said the facility would support the company’s commercial and defence research and provide flexibility for long-term investment.
The agreement was signed at a ceremony attended by Airbus chief executive Guillaume Faury and EIB vice-presidents Robert de Groot, Ambroise Fayolle and Nicola Beer.
The EIB stated that the financing falls under its TechEU initiative, which focuses on investment in what it calls critical technologies.
