Leonardo has selected the site for the final assembly of its AW609 tiltrotor aircraft in Italy.
On Monday, the company met with trade union representatives to share the next steps in its Grottaglie production site diversification plan.
The Grottaglie plant located near Taranto, Puglia, in southern Italy was originally built for the production of Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which has experienced decreased demand.
The site is home to the Materials Technology Research and InnovAtion Lab, a new development hub that explores novel composite materials for the aerospace industry. It is a joint project between Leonardo and chemical company Solvay Group.
Leonardo is also diversifying the production of Eurodrone wings and fuselages for Vertical Aerospace’s VX4 electric aircraft and its own remotely piloted Proteus helicopter at Grottaglie.
The aerospace and defense firm did not publicize when Boeing 787 production would stop and when work on AW609 would start.
It bared that the production suspension will last four months in response to the “short-term reduction in demand” for the Dreamliner. The company said the 787 is the market leader in the medium-large passenger aircraft segment and expects demand for the aircraft to bounce back in early 2025.