Airbus plans to open a new factory near Toulouse in 2031 to keep up with strong demand for new aircraft. According to France 3 Occitanie, the site is expected to employ 3,500 people and will build engine pylons, the part that attaches each engine to the wing.
What happened
Airbus presented the plan to journalists by videoconference on 10 November 2026. The project is called “Saint-Éloi du futur” (the future Saint-Éloi). France 3 Occitanie, citing its own reporting and the news agency AFP, says it is a very large new site that will add to the output of an existing Airbus factory, known as “Saint-Éloi historique” (the original Saint-Éloi), in the Minimes neighbourhood of Toulouse.
The new factory will consist of hangars covering 200,000 square metres. A photo caption in the same article describes the site as more than 200,000 square metres. The hangars will make mâts moteurs, or engine pylons. Airbus calls the pylon a “pièce stratégique”, a strategic component, because it carries the engine and links it to the aircraft’s wing.
The factory will sit on land Airbus already owns. Farmers currently work that land. It lies in the south of Cornebarrieu, a commune (the smallest unit of local government in France) on the north-western edge of Toulouse in the Haute-Garonne département. The broadcaster says Airbus wants the factory in service in 2031.
France 3 Occitanie links the expansion to strong demand for new aircraft, which is pushing Airbus to add production capacity around its home city.
What it means for you
If you work in aerospace, engineering or industrial manufacturing in the Toulouse area, this is the most practical part of the story. France 3 Occitanie reports that the site should employ 3,500 people. The article does not say how many of these jobs will be new hires and how many will be staff moving from existing Airbus sites, or when recruitment will start. Anyone hoping to apply should keep an eye on Airbus’s official careers channels rather than rely on early reports.
People living in or near Cornebarrieu should also take note. The project would turn farmland in the south of the commune into a large industrial site. The source does not mention planning procedures, public consultations, building dates or changes to roads and transport. Residents who want to follow the project can ask the mairie (town hall) of Cornebarrieu what stage the plan has reached and whether any public consultation is planned.
For the wider Toulouse area, the move confirms that Airbus intends to keep pylon production local and to grow it. The existing Saint-Éloi site in Les Minimes will stay in operation, since France 3 Occitanie describes the new factory as an addition to it, not a replacement.
Nothing in the report suggests any immediate change to daily life. No dates, costs or deadlines for residents are given, and the factory is not due to open until 2031.
What to watch next
The key date is 2031, when Airbus aims to bring the factory into service. Before then, the plan for Cornebarrieu will need to move from announcement to construction, and local residents will want to see how the farmland is converted and what that means for the area.
Watch, too, for details on hiring. Airbus has said the site should employ 3,500 people, and the split between new recruits and transferred staff will matter to job seekers in the region. Further announcements from Airbus or the commune of Cornebarrieu should make the timetable clearer.
Source: France 3 Occitanie
Sources
- France 3 Occitanie: Pour répondre à la forte demande de nouveaux avions, Airbus va construire une usine supplémentaire près de Toulouse, accessed 11 November 2026
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