Airbus in Poland and Romania: Airbus is pushing harder into Poland as it tries to grow its defence business and make its supply chain less shaky. A report on 5 May 2026 said the company wants to raise its workforce in Poland to 1,500 people and lift spending with Polish suppliers to $700 million a year by the end of the decade. The same report said Airbus sees Poland as one of Europe’s fastest-growing aviation markets and wants to deepen its local ties there.
The civil side of the story is already moving. LOT Polish Airlines ordered 40 A220s in June 2025, made up of 20 A220-100s and 20 A220-300s, with the first aircraft due in 2027. Airbus said the deal could later grow to 84 jets, and the company also said it still wants to offer widebody aircraft to LOT.
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Defence work gives Airbus more
Airbus is also building more defence links in Poland. On 20 April 2026, Airbus Defence and Space, Thales Alenia Space and Poland’s RADMOR signed a deal to develop a geostationary defence telecommunications satellite for Poland’s Ministry of Defence. Reuters said the project is part of the EU’s Readiness 2030 plan, which aims to make Europe more ready for defence by 2030.
There is also talk in Warsaw about buying Airbus A330 MRTT tanker aircraft. Defence reporting says Poland is weighing at least two of these tankers, possibly with EU loan support, and they are being seen as a European option against Boeing’s KC-46.
Romania adds more wind to the sails
Romania has added more fuel to Airbus’s defence push. Reuters reported that Romanian lawmakers approved €8.33 billion in EU-funded defence contracts under the SAFE programme, and that Airbus will produce helicopters in Romania for EU nations. Separate reporting says Romania has also approved 12 H225M Caracal helicopters worth about €999.57 million, which is close to €1 billion.
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All this comes while Airbus’s commercial aircraft side is still under strain. In Q1 2026, Airbus delivered 114 commercial aircraft, down from 136 a year earlier, and revenue fell 7% to €12.7 billion. Reuters said the main problem is engine supply delays from Pratt & Whitney, which are slowing deliveries and hurting production flow. Airbus still kept its full-year targets, including about 870 deliveries in 2026 and adjusted EBIT of roughly €7.5 billion.
The strange thing is that Airbus’s defence arm is doing well at the same time. In Q1 2026, order intake at Airbus Defence and Space rose to €5.0 billion from €2.6 billion a year earlier, and adjusted EBIT there climbed to €130 million from €77 million.
