An Airbus employee has been arrested after allegedly stealing five tonnes of titanium aircraft rivets worth nearly GBP 900,000 from the company's plant.

The thefts occurred over several months at Airbus’s facility in Finkenwerder, a district in the city of Hamburg, Germany.

The suspect, a 49-year-old Airbus employee, who was not named, reportedly smuggled the rivets out of the plant by concealing them in his backpack at the end of each shift.

He then transported the stolen rivets to his home in the Samtgemeinde Geestequelle, located in the district of Rotenburg near Bremervorde, where he stored them in a shed.

The theft was uncovered when Airbus noticed the repeated disappearance of the small titanium rivets from one of its production halls.

The company reported the matter to the police, leading to an investigation.

The official police statement confirmed the arrest and the recovery of the stolen rivets, stashed in 100 plastic crates and with a total value of nearly EUR 1 million (GBP 860,000).

The suspect is currently in custody, and further investigations are ongoing.

Titanium is a strong, lightweight metal widely used in the aerospace industry due to its high strength-to-weight ratio and resistance to corrosion.

Its market price can vary depending on the form and grade but generally ranges from GBP 20 to GBP 30 per kilogramme.

(MJ Leidig/newsX)