Airbus Bolsters Cyber Defence With Quarkslab Buy as Spanish Workers Weigh Strike Deal
Published on 10/01/2026 at 13:30 | Editorial boerse-global.de
Airbus moved on two fronts Thursday, closing a cyber-security acquisition and agreeing to sell a Malaysian maintenance unit, while its Spanish workforce voted on a labour pact that will shape the pace of its civil jet output.
The defence and space division completed its full takeover of French software specialist Quarkslab after regulators cleared the deal. Founded in 2011, Quarkslab employs roughly 100 people, mainly in Paris and Rennes, and develops the QShield security platform, designed to shield software, sensitive data and source code from artificial-intelligence threats and reverse engineering. Its work leans heavily on military and aerospace applications, and the firm had already served as an Airbus partner and supplier, backed by Tikehau Capital since 2020.
François Lombard, who heads the Connected Intelligence Division at Airbus Defence and Space, said Quarkslab's expertise would reinforce the group's cyber operations and help build a digital shield for European home nations and their allies. Beyond France and Germany, the division fields teams in the UK, Spain and Finland.
The purchase extends a run of targeted deals: the German acquisition of Infodas in 2024, followed by the transaction around Britain's Ultra Cyber Ltd announced in March 2026.
Sepang Divestment Trims Asian Services Footprint
On the same day, Airbus struck an agreement to offload its Malaysian subsidiary Sepang Aircraft Engineering to the Malaysia Aviation Group, parent of Malaysia Airlines. The business runs facilities spanning about 50,000 square metres and two hangars capable of servicing up to eight A320-family jets at once. Airbus had held a stake since 2011 and most recently controlled the company outright. Completion hinges on local approvals and is targeted for 2027; no price was disclosed.
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Spanish Ballot Puts Output Plans on the Line
Attention also fixed on Spain, where workers at the planemaker's production sites voted until Thursday afternoon on a negotiated collective agreement or a return to open-ended strike action. The package thrashed out with the ATP, CCOO and SIPA unions offers full inflation compensation plus a real wage increase of 7.95 percent through 2029. Industrial action had been suspended since 9 September, after an earlier ballot produced only the narrowest majority in favour of continuing.
The stakes for management are considerable. Fresh labour unrest in Spain would hit sensitive nodes of European manufacturing, and a CGT union case over the conduct of negotiations is still before the courts. After the strains of late summer, the group needs dependable operations across all its European sites.
Broughton Rework Targets A321 Wing Demand
Industrial expansion is advancing in parallel. At the UK's Broughton plant, the former A380 widebody hall is being converted to build A321 wings. The new line, fitted with six jigs, is due for completion at the end of 2026, with production of the first wing already under way.
The British overhaul speaks directly to an order book of roughly 7,500 A320-family aircraft, in which the A321 accounts for about three-quarters of orders. The investment underpins a global ambition to lift output to 75 narrowbody jets a month. The site, which employs 6,000 people, has added jobs this year to support the ramp-up.
Order Momentum Builds With FLYONE Armenia
Demand shows no sign of cooling. FLYONE Armenia converted an earlier letter of intent into a firm order for additional A321neo narrowbodies, keeping pressure firmly on the assembly lines.
Investors nonetheless stayed cautious on the mix of industrial transformation and labour talks. Airbus shares closed yesterday 0.6 percent lower at EUR 190.06, leaving the stock about 14 percent below its 52-week high of EUR 221.25.
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