Airbus: aircraft manufacturer

Airbus is a European aircraft manufacturer. It was formed at the end of the 1960s, following the merger of several European aircraft manufacturers and entities. Its head office is based near Toulouse in France, in Blagnac to be precise. This aircraft manufacturer, formerly known as Airbus Commercial Aircraft, specialises in the manufacture of long-haul airliners . It is one of the largest aircraft manufacturers in the world. In fact, almost half of the world’s airliners belong to Airbus and are operated by numerous airlines. Airbus is in direct competition with the American aircraft manufacturer Boeing. Together we will look at Airbus ‘s history, activities and shares, as well as its fleet of aircraft.

The origins of the aircraft manufacturer Airbus

After the Second World War, the world of aeronautics expanded. Not only were turbojet engines created, but also a large number of passenger and cargo aircraft. They could be civil, military or commercial. Then came the 1960s and the growth of air transport of all kinds. It was in 1965, at the Paris Air Show, that European players in the aeronautical world were discussing aircraft projects to differentiate themselves from the American giants and their wide-body aircraft. They needed to find a different market. That market happens to be the transport of large numbers of passengers over short and medium distances. Like air buses. The European players and aircraft manufacturers, all with their own respective missions, decided to join forces. They adopted the name Airbus, which thus became a European aircraft manufacturer.

The first Airbus projects from 1965 onwards

• 1965: the first large-capacity aircraft project was launched. Between France, the UK and Germany, the project that emerged was an aircraft with a capacity of around 225 seats.
• 1966-1967: This period marks the history of Airbus with the appearance of the Airbus A300 project. The members of Airbus developed an aircraft with a larger capacity, 300 seats, at a cost of 190 million pounds. These costs will be met by the various Airbus member states. France and the UK would contribute 37.5% and Germany 25%.
• 1968: Airbus set itself the target of securing a minimum of 75 orders to complete the A300 project. However, many airlines failed to show any obvious interest in the aircraft. Airbus had not received a single order by June 1968, although partnerships had already been signed, notably with Lockheed and Rolls-Royce, which were to supply engines for the A300. So a solution had to be found. The A300B was born. It was a smaller version of the A300. It would be a lighter aircraft with fewer seats than the 300 planned. However, the UK withdrew from the project. Germany and France each finance 50% of the project.
• 1969: The 2 countries join forces under an agreement signed at the Paris Air Show. They launched the A300B, a twin-engine aircraft with 226 seats. It had the advantage of being more fuel-efficient than other competing aircraft (notably four- and three-engine jets). There were to be a number of changes within the Airbus group, particularly for this project. The Netherlands joins the project and contributes 6.6% of the funding.
• 1970: The aerospace groups Aerospatiale and Deutsche Airbus join forces to officially form the Airbus Industrie group. This group is a GIE (Groupement d’Intérêt Economique) bringing together several nationalities. Its head office is in Paris. The Airbus Industrie Group was chaired by Franz-Josef Strauss. Later, other European aeronautical entities joined the Airbus group. This was notably the case for the Spanish aircraft manufacturer CASA.

Putting Airbus aircraft into service

• 1974: the first model of the A300B made its first commercial flight . The original A300B project was developed in a number of models (from A300B1 to B11) to meet market demand. A version for air freight, a lighter version, an increased range, reduced landing gear or a stretched version, numerous aircraft were able to carry out their flight tests and subsequently prove their worth. That year, it was the first time that the A300 aircraft was used by an airline, Air France. Air France was one of the few airlines to opt for large-capacity aircraft. The aircraft made its first commercial flight in April between Paris and London.
• 1978: Airbus had been trying to establish itself in the United States for several years, but without success. That year, however, the aircraft manufacturer receives its first real orders from the American airline Eastern Air Lines (EAL), with an order for 23 B4 models of the A300. The various models of the A300 are a resounding success and enter into serious competition with the American giant Boeing. This gave Airbus the incentive to manufacture new models of aircraft better suited to airline demand. The original A300 model owes some of its success to Air France, which needs wide-body aircraft, but not all airlines do. Plans for a new model got under way, the A310, which was presented at an air show in Hanover in 1978.
• 1979 : the A310 was a hit, and many airlines had already placed orders for it. Although the UK had withdrawn from the previous project, it was involved in the development of the A310 to the tune of 20%. France and Germany each contributed 37.9%, and Spain 4.2%.
• 1982: test flight of the A310.
• 1983 : first deliveries of the aircraft to Swissair and Lufthansa in particular. Several versions were produced by Airbus (e.g. the A310-200, A310-300 and A310-600), with modifications to the wing and empennage, as well as to the aircraft’s capacity and a freight version.
• 1984: Production of the A300B models ceased.

Airbus diversifies its aircraft fleet

• In the early 1980s, Airbus saw an opportunity and a demand for aircraft with around 150 seats, capable of flying medium-haul distances. To compete with the Boeing 737-200 in particular, GIE planned a similar aircraft project. In 1981, the A320 project, a 150-seater aircraft, was launched. To stand out from the competition, the aircraft manufacturer wanted its future aircraft to be more fuel-efficient and to feature technological advances (notably the introduction of electric controls).
• 1984: marks the official launch of the A320. Orders were already in hand, with 80 aircraft for 5 airlines.
• 1988: The first A320 airliner flew its first missions. In France, it was inaugurated in Toulouse the previous year. Air France put it into service in 1988. The A320 was a great success and even dethroned its American competitor Boeing, notably with a major order from Pan Am, an American airline.

The A320 was a lever of sorts for the aircraft manufacturer Airbus, which was then considered one of the world’s leading manufacturers. This model of aircraft held the record of 400 orders placed before its launch, compared with just 15 for the A300.

• 1989 : Surfing on the wave of success with its A320, Airbus decides to create the A321, a more elongated model with a capacity of 186 passengers.
• 1990s: Airbus diversifies its range of aircraft and increases its production rate. It created various versions of theA320 (A318, A319 and A321). It also produced new long-haul aircraft such as the A330 and A340 (all the while aiming to stand out from Boeing and its new model, the Boeing 767 in particular).
• 1993 – 1994: the first A340 and A330 enter service.
• 1995: a smaller version of the A320, the A319, makes its maiden flight. This aircraft is important because its A319-114 version serves as the reference for the first Airbus Corporate Jets (ACJ) in 1999.

Airbus after the 2000s

At the end of the 90s, the Airbus group was restructured to ensure that it remained a united and competitive structure in the face of the American giant, and above all to limit costs. A number of aeronautical groups merged, and in 2001 Airbus was 80% owned by EADS (formed with Aérospatiale, CASA and DASA) and 20% by BAE Systems. Airbus is headquartered in Toulouse, France. Its CEO is Noël Forgeard.

• 2000: A huge project is launched, studies having already been launched in the 1980s. It involves a wide-body aircraft with a capacity of up to 800 people, to be known as the A3XX. This project was renamed the Airbus A380 as we know it today, the world’s largest passenger aircraft. By this date, Airbus had already received orders for 55 aircraft from 6 airlines.
• 2005 : The A380 makes its first test flight. During the design phase, certain aspects of the aircraft were difficult to implement. In particular, the final assembly of the various parts of the aircraft. Deliveries of the A380 then fell behind schedule. The first aircraft to be delivered to airlines should be available in 2007. As a result of these successive delays, Airbus made a loss of 4.8 billion euros. To cope with the situation, Airbus decided to restructure its various production sites and standardise its production systems.
• 2005: A brief review of Airbus’ flagship aircraft. At this time, the A320 alone accounts for 75% of the manufacturer’s orders.
• 2006 : Airbus develops a new aircraft, the A350. It will be presented this year at Farnborough. This wide-body aircraft will compete with the Boeing 777. It has a capacity of 350 passengers. Its first flight took place in 2013.
• 2007-2008 : restructuring plans (Power8, Power8 plus in particular) are implemented. Costs had to be cut, leading to almost 10,000 job losses and fierce protests. Some sites were also sold, and others relocated.
• 2011 : Concerned about environmental issues, Airbus unveils its NEO (New Engine Option) project. It will be applied to the A320neo, which will consume 15% less fuel. With 1,425 orders, this aircraft model becomes the most coveted before its launch.
• 2010: Airbus consolidates its global presence in the aeronautical market. It set successive records for orders and production over these years.

Since 2018, the Group’s CEO has been Guillaume Faury.

Airbus after the health crisis

• 2020 – 2021: the aerospace group, impacted by the Covid-19 crisis, announced that it had lost €481 million in 2020. However, orders picked up again in 2021, with sales of 363 million euros in the first quarter

2021 also saw Airbus experiment with using 100% biofuels on one of its flights for the first time. This initiative is part of the drive to achieve carbon neutrality in aviation by 2050.

• January 2022: the aircraft manufacturer Airbus signs 36 major orders for the start of the year. It also made 30 aircraft deliveries during the same month to around twenty customers. The aircraft manufacturer also delivered its first ACJ TwoTwenty to the Swiss airline Comlux. This is an Airbus 220-100 specially fitted out as a business version.
• February 2022: With its delivery of Airbus aircraft, the manufacturer announces that its year 2021 has been a record one. The aircraft manufacturer made a record profit of 4.2 billion euros. With 611 commercial aircraft delivered, an increase of 8% compared with 2020.

Airbus key figures

The aircraft manufacturer can be characterised by a few key figures to date:

• 130,000 employees of more than a hundred nationalities.
• 180: the number of Airbus sites worldwide.
• 12,000: the number of Airbus suppliers.

The different actions of the aircraft manufacturer Airbus

Airbus is not just about famous commercial aircraft such as theA320 or the A380. There are also numerous initiatives and achievements in other areas. These include the production of commercial aircraft, of course, but also the manufacture of helicopters(Airbus Helicopter), as well as defence, space and security aircraft. The company’s aim is to connect people and provide innovative, secure solutions.

Finally, Airbus makes it a point of honour to build aircraft that are ever more responsible, cleaner, less polluting and always at the cutting edge of the industry. It is committed to developing hybrid, greener and more environmentally-friendly aircraft, electric aircraft and even unmanned drones, for example. The future of mobility is an area that Airbus is constantly exploring and innovating.

Airbus projects for sustainable aviation

Airbus is a pioneer in the field of zero emissions. The aircraft manufacturer relies on 4 divisions and is developing various projects.

First and foremost, Airbus is developing aircraft with zero CO2 emissions. This is the case with their CityAirBus project, for example. An electric eVTOL that has already completed a number of flight tests.

Next, the aerospace group is planning hydrogen-powered aircraft. For Airbus, hydrogen is a highly promising source of energy that will reduce the impact of aviation on the global climate. They plan to equip their commercial aircraft by 2035.

The aircraft manufacturer is also using natural energy, namely the sun, to power its aircraft. Solar panels could capture the sun’s energy and convert it into a propulsion system for its aircraft. Currently, one spacecraft, Zephyr, is powered exclusively by the sun’s rays.

Finally, Airbus also wants to reinvent urban air mobility. The air transport of the city of the future is already underway. Electric aerial vehicles are being developed to provide solutions for urban mobility. Airbus has also set up a centre specialising in this project, Airbus Urban Mobility.

The Airbus fleet

Airbus has manufactured numerous aircraft, planes and helicopters for commercial, military and space missions, as well as sustainable aircraft projects for the aviation of tomorrow.

To find out more, visit the pages of the main commercial aircraft that make the reputation of the aviation giant today: Airbus A319, Airbus A320, Airbus A321, Airbus A340, Airbus A330, Airbus A350, Airbus A318 ELITE, ACJ 220 or the CityAirBus.

Now you know a little more about the aeronautical giant. At AEROAFFAIRES, we are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including weekends and public holidays. We respond quickly to your request for a quote, both online and by telephone on +33 1 44 09 91 82.