THE Government yesterday held top-level talks with aerospace giant EADS in a bid to secure vital work for the region's crucial Airbus plant.

Trade and Industry Secretary Alistair Darling conducted a crunch meeting with the heads of the Airbus parent group amid growing worries at the company's Broughton factory, near Chester.

It is understood one of the key issues discussed was future financing arrangements for the redesigned A350 jet.

The Government was last year in the final stages of negotiating about £400m of repayable launch investment to help build the A350 – a mid-sized, long-range airliner to compete with Boeing's 787 Dreamliner.

However, the deal was delayed when airlines snubbed the original A350, forcing Airbus to design a new version. Since then, fears have grown that Broughton could lose out on the A350 work after leaked documents revealed the Spanish government was attempting to win more Airbus contracts.

Launch aid is seen as vital to keeping the work in the UK .

Yesterday's meeting was attended by defence minister Lord Drayson, which led to speculation that Airbus's military transport aircraft, the A400M, and its AirTanker featured heavily in talks.

EADS spokesman Michael Hauger said the aerospace and defence group was in discussions with the UK, German, Spanish and French governments over future Airbus operations.

But he said those talks were continuing and the company did not want to comment.