About 100 Airbus Atlantic employees fall ill after Christmas party: reports

About 100 Airbus Atlantic employees fell ill after a company-organized Christmas party in France earlier this month, according to a spokesperson for the European aeronautics company.

“Around 100 Airbus Atlantic employees were taken ill after contracting a food-borne illness after eating the company-organized Christmas lunch,” an Airbus Atlantic spokesperson told multiple outlets.

The spokesperson did not specify the type of food that led to the illness on Dec. 15. No employees suffered serious illnesses, and all returned to work the following week, the spokesperson said.

The number of those sick differs from that of French health authorities, who reportedly said more than 700 employees were believed to have dealt with vomiting and diarrhea, BBC News reported.

Established in 2022, Airbus Atlantic is a wholly owned Airbus subsidiary and employs 13,000 people across five countries and three continents. Airbus Atlantic has a plant in Santo Tirso in Portugal.

The spokesperson told The Hill that French health authorities are leading the investigation into the illness, writing, “This appears to be an isolated event and all employees are recovering well."

“The health of our employees remains our primary concern and we are fully cooperating with the ARS health agency to identify the cause of the illness and ensure this cannot happen again in the future," the spokesperson added.

The Hill has reached out to Airbus for comment.