Airbus Defence and Space will open a conversion center for the A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) at its San Pablo plant in Seville by the end of 2027 to meet the increasing global demand for tanker aircraft. This new center, in addition to the one Airbus has at its facilities in Getafe, Madrid, will increase the annual conversion from five to seven of civilian aircraft to their military version. It is also planned that in Seville, Maintenance, Repair, and Operations (MRO) tasks will be carried out, as well as the updating of A330 MRTT aircraft already in service.
"The choice of Seville is not random, it is a strategic decision. The Andalusian capital meets all the critical requirements for the military conversion of a complex aircraft like the A330," said Francisco Javier Sánchez Segura, president of Airbus in Spain. "Seville combines advanced technical knowledge with top-notch infrastructure - thanks to the final assembly lines of the A400M and C295 -, an industrial ecosystem resulting from years of experience, and a key logistical and operational proximity with Getafe."
To implement this project, improvements will be made to the existing infrastructure in San Pablo, with the aim of maximizing its operational capacity and providing it with the necessary technology for the conversion processes. Airbus will make an investment that includes updating industrial resources in the hangars, implementing advanced processes, and an ambitious high-skilled local talent training program. According to sources consulted by EL MUNDO, they expect to hire 200 new employees with this initiative.
The Airbus plant in Getafe, on the other hand, will act as a strategic coordinator, allowing both centers to work complementarily to meet the high demand for A330 MRTT in the current market due to the increase in global defense investment.
The A330 MRTT is a multi-role tanker aircraft capable of performing in-flight refueling missions, troop and cargo transport, as well as medical evacuations.
Currently, it has 91 orders from 19 countries and a 90% market share (excluding the United States). Airbus is the leading driving company in the aerospace and defense sector in Spain and Andalusia. Currently, there are more than 14,000 employees in Airbus' Spanish plants, of which 3,500 are located in the Andalusian plants of San Pablo and Tablada, in Seville, and Cádiz.
A month ago, Airbus delivered the first of three A330 MRTT to Spain for the Air and Space Force. The aircraft entered service with Wing 45. This is the first of the three tanker aircraft purchased by the Spanish Ministry of Defense in November 2021. The aircraft, which will operate from the Torrejón de Ardoz air base in Madrid (Spain), was delivered from Airbus' facilities in Getafe (Madrid), where the A330 MRTT aircraft conversion center is located.
The two remaining Airbus A330 MRTT destined for Spain are currently undergoing conversion in Getafe, Madrid. The 45th Wing of the Spanish Air and Space Force has so far used these unconverted A330s for the transport of personnel and military equipment, for example, in the 2024 Pacific Skies exercise or in the evacuation of Spanish citizens from Niger or Sudan.