According to the words of Minister of Technology and Industry László Palkovics on the spot, it is a historic moment that the factory received the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) license for production, as he said, not many countries have such authorization.

He added that with the establishment of the plant, "several firsts can be celebrated in Gyula and Hungary". A vehicle, the helicopter, was included in the Hungarian technological and technical product portfolio, which did not exist before, "even if only parts are produced for it". With the opening of the factory, Gyula once again has a high-tech industry; and Airbus Helicopters is the first company in Hungary that helps turn Hungarian military industry ideas into reality, he underlined.

The minister reminded that four years ago it was decided to develop military technology with 220 billion forints. Yesterday, the government decided to use another HUF 250 billion for the military industry, from which additional joint ventures will be created and new factories will be built.

Gáspár Maróth, the Secretary of State responsible for defense policy and defense developments at the Ministry of National Defense, stated that "from now on, there is no Airbus helicopter without Gyula".

He said that at Wednesday's meeting, the government formulated ten points in order to recover from the crisis, one of which is the development of the military industry, and the other is to increase the inflow of foreign capital. Airbus is one of Europe's leading military companies; and in Airbus Helicopters Hungary Kft., which was founded two years ago, the Hungarian state owns 30 percent, so it is "personally involved in the company's success", he underlined.

Andreas Stöckle, CEO of Airbus Helicopters Hungary Kft., recalled that the agreement was signed four years ago, the joint venture was founded two years ago, and they received the EASA license last Friday. Although not everything is ready yet, production can begin, which is "the most important day in the life of a factory".

Laurent Mazoué, the executive vice president responsible for operations at Airbus Helicopters, said that 50 people are currently employed at the Gyula factory, this will continue to grow by the end of the year, and they would like to reach 250 employees within a few years.

Ernő Görgényi (Fidesz-KDNP), the mayor of Gyula, reminded in his speech that the last factory in the spa town in Békés county was established 40 years ago, which closed 30 years ago. Now "a new era of the Gyula economy is beginning", the basic principle of which is industrial development based on the knowledge of qualified professionals.

Construction of the Airbus factory in Gyula began in December 2020. According to a previous announcement, the center was created with about HUF 2.2 billion, half of which was spent on the purchase of machines and tools.

In the 13,000-square-meter plant, precision parts are manufactured from steel and titanium for the airframe and dynamic systems of the European aircraft manufacturer's helicopters, and some of the door panels are also produced here. For these parts, Gyulai will be the sole supply point for the entire Airbus family.

A 3,100-square-meter surface treatment plant is also being built next to the parts factory. Airbus is the market leader in the production of civil helicopters, with 48 percent of the market in 2020. Currently, they have locations in eight countries worldwide, the ninth will be located in Gyul, Hungary.

The Gyula plant was blessed by Bishop László Kiss-Rigó of Szeged-Csanád.

Source: Magyar Hírlap

Photo: Tibor Rosta