Airbus parent EADS is close to signing a strategic deal with Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Aerospace on advanced carbon-composite aircraft parts production, sources familiar with the matter said.
The industrial accord coincides with an expected deal to sell 50 A350 aircraft and some smaller jets to the emirate’s flag carrier Etihad Airways, previously reported by Reuters.
The two deals are not explicitly linked but reflect an increasing shift towards industrial offset arrangements in commercial aerospace, as Mubadala seeks to play a major role in the production of composite tail sections for passenger jets.
Both Airbus and rival Boeing have already established partnerships with Strata, the composites manufacturing unit of Mubadala Aerospace which produces parts at Al-Ain near Oman.
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