Airbus Graduate Scheme (AGGP): How to Apply, Salary & Deadlines

“We work with very diverse groups of people…” — Di Zhao, Supply Chain Specialist at Airbus (Gradcracker employee profile).

This is one person’s view. The profile does not say whether Di Zhao joined through the graduate programme, and we could not find a named AGGP graduate quote on a source we could verify.

Update, October 2026: AGGP 2027 applications have closed. Airbus’s official AGGP page says “Applications for AGGP 2028 are expected to open in September 2027”. The last two roles it lists as final, in Mobile (USA) and Singapore, closed on 3 and 5 October 2026. The next intake is expected in September 2027.

The Airbus graduate scheme is officially the Airbus Global Graduate Programme (AGGP): a structured two-year programme with rotational placements, workshops and job shadowing across engineering, digital technology, cyber security, supply chain, procurement, human resources and finance. This guide covers who can apply, the stages in order, what Airbus publishes on pay, and how to be ready for the next window. “Official” means stated on an Airbus page we could read; “reported” means it comes from a third party.

Airbus AGGP 2027 at a glance

When does the Airbus graduate scheme open?

Airbus says applications “open each September, but only for a short time” and that “applications for some roles may close earlier”. For the intake that has just closed, a Bristol project management role on Gradcracker, which reproduces the Airbus posting, listed a deadline of 30 September 2026 and a September 2027 start (reported). The final overseas roles on Airbus’s own page ran a few days later.

The next window, for AGGP 2028, is expected in September 2027. Airbus has not published a day, a closing date or a start date for it. Roles are posted individually, so one can close while others stay open. Set a job alert in your Airbus candidate account (see Airbus’s careers FAQs), check the AGGP page in late August and have your CV ready. Our guide on when to apply for graduate jobs covers timing across employers.

Airbus graduate scheme programme structure and disciplines

The programme lasts two years, with rotational placements, workshops, job shadowing and soft-skills training. National rotations last 3, 6, 9 or 12 months. International rotations of 3 or 6 months exist but are not guaranteed, and each rotation needs a clear learning deliverable tied to your target role (all Official).

You join a global cohort: Airbus gives 500+ participants and alumni, 40+ nationalities and 13 countries with AGGPians. The cohort meets each year for a Development Week at the Airbus Leadership University.

Roles cover engineering, digital technology, cyber security, supply chain, procurement, human resources and finance. Locations vary each year; Airbus says to expect roles in the UK, France, Germany, Spain, the USA, Canada, Poland, India, China and Singapore.

The AGGP is not a temporary trainee contract. Airbus offers a permanent contract from day one, and after the 24 months you return to your home team for at least 12 months. Some third-party listings describe a longer programme for finance roles, so check your posting.

UK locations

Airbus does not publish a fixed UK site list for the graduate programme; locations vary each year. Its UK industry placement page describes the main UK sites (Official):

• Filton (Bristol): wings, fuel systems and landing gear engineering.
• Broughton (near Chester): wing production, assembly and quality control.
• Portsmouth: space systems, electromechanical engineering and software development.
• Stevenage: assembly, integration and testing of satellites.
• Newport: secure connectivity, cybersecurity and cryptography.

AGGP 2027 listings on third-party boards included Bristol and Broughton roles (reported). Airbus’s UK page gives 14,000+ UK employees and 20+ sites (Official).

Who can apply

To apply to the Airbus graduate scheme you need:

• Degree and timing: a degree-level qualification in a relevant field, held or due before the programme starts. Each role lists its own subjects.
• Experience: a maximum of three years of relevant work. Airbus counts full-time professional work after your degree; mandatory internships, sandwich years, work-study apprenticeships and student jobs are excluded (Official). With more than three years you cannot join the AGGP, but you can apply for other Airbus roles.
• Age and nationality: Airbus’s current page lists no age limit among its criteria, and Gradcracker’s Airbus hub says there is no age or nationality limit (reported). However, some Space, Defence, Eurodrone and government-linked roles may require a specific citizenship, dual-national status or minimum residency for security clearance. Check each posting’s Requirements section.
• UK visas: Airbus cannot offer Skilled Worker sponsorship for UK AGGP roles. It welcomes applicants with an existing right to work, or eligible via the Graduate Visa or Youth Mobility Scheme. An older Gradcracker line says visas are “generally” sponsored; follow Airbus’s current wording.
• Degree classification: Airbus has not published a minimum classification on the pages we could read. If you have a 2:2, see our guide to graduate jobs you can still get with a 2:2.

Airbus graduate scheme application process: every stage

Airbus allows one AGGP application per recruitment cycle, so choose your best-fit role. Recruiters may consider you for another track internally without a new application.

1. Online application. Submit through the Airbus careers portal with a CV that has correct spelling and grammar. Airbus screens for the experience limit and graduation date. Our guide to ATS-friendly CVs helps here.
2. Arctic Shores game-based assessment. You may be invited by email after applying, and you have three days from receiving the link. Airbus says the modules measure natural cognitive behaviours, decision-making style, situational judgement and problem-solving, not technical knowledge. It recommends a quiet environment. If you do not meet the criteria, all your AGGP applications in that window are declined.
3. Application review. The Gradcracker-hosted posting lists a review by a Talent Acquisition Partner and manager between the online task and the assessment centre (reported). Airbus’s own page does not list this step separately.
4. Virtual assessment centre. Online activities such as group exercises and interviews, with full instructions sent beforehand.
5. Offer. Airbus says to expect an offer within a week of a successful interview.

Airbus publishes a general recruitment process guide with interview videos. Its security notice says Airbus contacts candidates only from @airbus.com addresses and never charges for interviews, checks, visas, training or equipment.

How to prepare for the Airbus assessment centre

Airbus has not published the activities or scoring for the Airbus graduate scheme assessment centre on the pages we could read; it names group exercises and interviews. The points below are our guidance, not Airbus rules.

For Arctic Shores, do not try to guess a “right” profile. Pick a quiet hour, charge your device, read the email instructions and start early in the three-day window. Raise any adjustments on the platform before you begin.

For the group exercises and interviews, prepare three or four specific examples of teamwork, owning your development and clear communication, the qualities Airbus lists in its eligibility FAQ. Use our graduate assessment centre guide and the assessment centre survival guide.

On AI, Airbus’s candidate guidance allows it for drafting and structuring, but wants the final version to be your own work and says not to use AI in interviews.

Airbus graduate scheme salary and benefits

Airbus’s official wording is that salaries “vary by location and division, and are benchmarked with the local relevant industry standard”. It has not published a UK graduate starting salary on the pages we could read. The Gradcracker-hosted Bristol posting says “Competitive + benefits” (reported).

For a rough guide, Glassdoor reports an average of £33,274 for Airbus “Graduate Program” roles, typically £28,143 to £40,083, from 101 submissions as of October 2026 (reported). It mixes locations and is not limited to the AGGP, so treat it as indicative. Check take-home pay with our paycheck calculator.

Airbus’s rewards and benefits page says benefits vary by country and lists flexible and hybrid working, sabbaticals, success sharing, employee share ownership, a company pension contribution and health insurance. It gives no pension percentages. The UK page adds enhanced maternity and shared parental leave of up to 23 weeks fully paid and 20,000 e-learning modules (Official, Airbus UK-wide rather than AGGP-specific).

Other Airbus early-careers routes in the UK

If you missed this window or are earlier in your studies, Airbus runs UK routes of its own:

• Industry placements: the UK industry placement is a paid 12 to 13 month sandwich year for undergraduates. Wave 1 (engineering and digital) has closed; wave 2 (business operations, finance, HR and support) runs from 28 September to 25 October 2026. You apply with a CV, cover letter and questions, and placements are open to non-engineers.
• Apprenticeships: the UK apprenticeships page describes paid engineering, digital and manufacturing routes, and Airbus’s UK page says applications are open for September 2027 starts.
• Virtual work experience: an aerospace engineering programme built with Springpod.

All routes are listed on Airbus’s students and graduates hub.

Airbus vs other engineering graduate schemes

The AGGP combines engineering with business functions in one two-year rotation. Other employers differ on timing and structure:

• Siemens graduate scheme: a register-interest route and a two-year programme for master’s graduates. Side by side: Siemens vs Airbus.
• Rolls-Royce graduate scheme: the Engineering and Technology programme closes 13 November 2026, the closest aerospace option while AGGP is shut.
• Jaguar Land Rover graduate scheme: six two-year programmes, with applications listed for January 2027.
• Network Rail graduate scheme: 11 schemes, with registration of interest for a September 2027 start.
• BT graduate scheme: register interest for 2027. Our BT vs Airbus comparison covers the two.

See every live window on the graduate scheme hub.

FAQ

Next steps

Use the gap before the next Airbus graduate scheme window in September 2027 well. Apply to Airbus’s UK industry placements before 25 October 2026 if you are still a student, and compare the open schemes above in the meantime. Bookmark the official AGGP page, because dates and requirements are set by Airbus and can change. Browse every live window on our graduate scheme hub.