Airbus is expanding its operations in Kraków. An engineering centre for aircraft is being built
Kraków joins the list of Airbus sites in Poland. During a meeting with Stanisław Kracik, acting as the Mayor of Kraków, representatives of the company outlined their plans to develop a new engineering centre for passenger aircraft.
On September 7th, Stanisław Kracik, acting as the Mayor of Kraków, met with representatives of Airbus. The discussion was also attended by: Jacek Liguziński, the Director of the Department of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Andrzej Kulig, the Chairperson of the Kraków Technology Park, and representatives of the company: Sebastian Magadzio, Timothée Prou and Dominika Świętońska, who outlined plans for the development of a new engineering centre for passenger aircraft. By the end of 2026, the team is expected to number consist of 30 and 50 people, and within a few years – 300+ specialists. The discussions also covered cooperation with Kraków’s universities, schools and the research and development sector.
Kraków among Airbus’s European engineering centres
Airbus, one of the world’s largest aerospace and defence companies, has been operating in Poland for over 25 years. The company employs around nine hundred individuals in our country, and to date its operations have been concentrated in Warsaw, Łódź and Gdańsk. Kraków is now joining this group. A new engineering centre for passenger aircraft, forming part of Airbus Commercial Aircraft, is being built in the city near Wawel. The official opening of the centre is scheduled for the end of 2026. The company is currently based in a temporary office and is looking for a permanent location.
The Kraków-based team will be responsible for: designing structural solutions, computer modelling and analysis, strength analyses, testing, certification, etc. The team will also be involved in the development of current and future generations of passenger aircraft.
Stanisław Kracik expressed his support for Airbus in developing its cooperation with Kraków’s universities and highlighted the city’s openness to the company’s further expansion.
New technologies and cooperation with universities
Airbus representatives pointed out that the fact that Kraków was selected was primarily determined by its strong academic base, the availability of highly qualified engineers, and the city's well-developed technology and research and development ecosystem. The ability to recruit talent from across Central Europe is also significant.
The company is already conducting talks with the universities in Kraków and is interested in joint research and educational projects. It is also considering providing support for selected degree programmes and projects, as well as cooperation with secondary schools. One possible direction is the development of training programmes for the aviation industry, including through the use of existing educational facilities that train staff for the automotive industry. The cooperation may extend not only to the most obvious technical fields, but also to other disciplines and universities, including the University of Agriculture.
Support from the Kraków Technology Park
During a meeting with the representatives of Airbus, the Kraków Technology Park offered to assist in the search for a suitable location for the centre, to make use of the available investor support schemes, and to provide access to tax reliefs and incentives.
The establishment of the Airbus engineering centre will not only bring new jobs to Kraków, but will also mark an important step in the development of a knowledge-based economy. The investment strengthens the city’s position as a centre for advanced engineering, technology and research, and develops its potential in the field of research and development (R&D).
It is worth noting that the planned engineering centre will be one of only a few such facilities operated by Airbus in Europe, apart from the ones in France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom.
