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Airbus boss slams US over ‘biased’ military tanker tender

The German head of the European plane maker Airbus on Tuesday accused the US government of partiality in its tender for military tankers after Airbus and US partner Northrop Grumman threw in the towel.

Published: 9 March 2010 09:29 CET

Airbus boss slams US over 'biased' military tanker tender

Photo: DPA

“Contrary to the initial tender, which we clearly won two years ago, the current tender is biased in favour of the competition’s smaller and less able aircraft,” Airbus CEO Thomas Enders told the website of the Financial Times Deutschland.

“It is no longer (a case of) the best plane and no longer fair competition,” Enders charged.

Northrop Grumman chief executive Wes Bush said Monday it would withdraw the joint proposal since the US Air Force “clearly favours Boeing’s smaller refuelling tanker and does not provide adequate value recognition of the added capability of a larger tanker, precluding us from any competitive opportunity.”

Boeing’s bid is based on its 767 aircraft, while Airbus and Northrop Grumman planned to use an Airbus A330.

“We are of course very frustrated by this situation,” Enders said. “But the real losers are the US army and American taxpayers.”

That view was echoed by Alabama Senator Richard Shelby, whose state would have benefited from a promised plant to assemble the Airbus/Northrop tankers that would have created 300 jobs.

“The Air Force had a chance to deliver the most capable tanker possible to our warfighters and blew it,” Shelby said.

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Which Bavaria-based companies regularly hire English speakers?

Munich ranks third in German cities with the highest total GDP, behind Berlin and Hamburg, but in terms of GDP per capita, it’s higher than both of them.

It also consistently ranks high, often highest, in terms of average household income.

As of 2023, nine of the 40 companies listed on DAX, Germany’s stock index, were based in Bavaria. Seven of those are based specifically in Munich.

While Frankfurt is commonly known to be Germany’s business capital, Munich can claim the title of Germany’s insurance capital, which is saying something, as Germany is home to some of the largest insurance firms in the world, like Allianz.

Beyond the state’s capital city, a number of international companies are based elsewhere in Bavaria, particularly in the Franken region, near Nuremberg.

Which companies actively hire English speakers?

Bavaria, and Munich in particular, is home to a number of companies at the forefront of international business. But the state is known for its traditional, sometimes conservative, culture, which affects its business culture as well.

Whereas companies embracing English as their primary business language are easy to find in Berlin, the practice is less common in the south. That said, there are some notable exceptions.

Sportswear giants, Adidas and Puma, both have their headquarters near Nuremberg in Herzogenaurach, and regularly recruit English speaking international talent.

“As an international company, our teams reflect the rich diversity of our consumers and communities,” Jon Greenhalgh, Senior Manager Media Relations for Adidas told The Local. “Fostering a culture of inclusion where we value and leverage differences, ensures that we can authentically engage with our employees and truly connect with our consumers.”

He added that around 40 per cent of Adidas’ Germany-based employees are foreign nationals, from over 100 different countries.

Siemens and BMW rank among Bavaria’s top employers, and are also known to hire their fair share of foreigners.

“In Germany, we recently had around 2,000 open positions,” Konstanze Somborn told The Local on behalf of Siemens AG.

He added that Siemens operates in 190 countries. “That is why we value international teams very much…English as a common language is very usual.”

READ ALSO: ‘Which German companies want to hire foreigners?’

Similarly, BMW hires workers from a variety of backgrounds.

“Every year, we hire lots of internationals and welcome them to the BMW Group,” Dr. Hans-Peter Ketterl, a press spokesman for BMW Group told The Local.

But not all of these positions are available to non-German speakers.

Ketterl added that BMW’s working language is German in the country, even though, “English is an indispensable entry requirement as the second corporate language in many areas of the company.”

Check job boards and follow best practices

If it’s your first time applying for jobs in Germany, make sure to change your resume to the German format, even for English positions.

While Germany is home to its own job boards, like Xing, LinkedIn is probably the best place to start. In addition to searching for positions based in your preferred location, you can check relevant groups, like Munich Startups, to broaden your horizons.

The English Jobs in Germany website is also a good resource to start with.

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