Airbus opens new Digital Campus in Albacete

Airbus Helicopters has officially inaugurated its new Albacete Digital Campus. The President of Castilla-La Mancha, Emiliano García-Page, the Secretary of State for Defence, Amparo Valcarce, and the Mayor of Albacete, Manuel Serrano López, attended the official opening ceremony. The new facility integrates core digital capabilities that will build the future of aeronautics and support the entire Airbus Helicopters fleet globally.

The facility is located in the Scientific and Technological Park close to the University of Castilla-La Mancha. It serves as one of three global digital hubs for the company, alongside existing ones in France and Germany. The initiative forms part of a broader strategy to strengthen core digital capabilities.

"Albacete is now firmly established as a premier aeronautical hub in Spain, capable of attracting and retaining top technological talent. This facility creates a direct bridge with our university and local start-ups, ensuring that regional innovation leads the future of the aerospace sector," said Emiliano García-Page, President of Castilla-La Mancha.

"The creation of this Digital Campus is a key element of the framework agreement for the Spanish National Helicopter Plan that we signed in May 2025. While the plan encompasses the acquisition of 100 helicopters to standardise the fleets of our armed forces, its scope extends further. It represents a long-term strategy designed to reinforce Spain's defence industrial base, increase national autonomy, and establish the country as a global centre of excellence in helicopter maintenance and digital technologies," said Amparo Valcarce, Secretary of State for Defence.

"Digitalisation and innovation drive our global competitiveness and customer satisfaction. As we make the largest digital investments in our history, expanding our transnational network to Spain is critical to managing this rising demand. Fully integrated into our global structure, this Digital Campus in Albacete deploys advanced capabilities, ranging from AI and cyber to data analytics, ensuring seamless digital continuity across our entire worldwide value chain," said Martin Werner, Head of Digital & Transformation at Airbus Helicopters.

The campus, which started operations in January 2026, will eventually accommodate around 200 employees by 2029. The teams focus on key future competencies, including digital design, manufacturing and services, artificial intelligence, data analytics, and cybersecurity. Recruitment follows a planned expansion of approximately 70 new positions per year, with around 60% of the roles tailored for early careers. This strategy directly leverages the proximity and ongoing partnership framework with the University of Castilla-La Mancha to transition students from academia straight into industrial innovation.