Airbus has softened plans to require white-collar employees to work on-site four days a week by September after repeated strikes and protests, particularly in Spain. Managers may now let staff retain arrangements averaging two days of remote work each week, effectively suspending a proposed one-day limit. CEO Guillaume Faury had led the return-to-office campaign to improve knowledge transfer, collective efficiency and decision-making as Airbus responds to record aerospace demand and prepares new products with thousands of relatively new employees. Unions say between 25% and one third of Airbus staff joined in the past three years, while approximately 40% of the company’s 14,000 Spanish workers have participated in strikes over teleworking and other issues. Production has not been affected so far, but the intensity of the unrest has unsettled Airbus leadership. The dispute also highlights recruitment challenges as aerospace competes with higher-paid digital sectors for younger Gen-Z workers who place greater emphasis on work-life balance.