Airbus

European aircraft manufacturer

  • Parent company:
  • European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company NV (EADS) (2000–2014)
  • Airbus Group NV (2014–2015)
  • Airbus Group SE (2015–2017)
  • Subsidiary:
  • Airbus Industrie GIE (1970–2001)
  • Airbus SAS (2001–current)
Company typePublic (Societas Europaea)
Traded as
  • BMAD: AIR
  • Euronext Paris: AIR
  • FWB: AIR
  • CAC 40 component
  • DAX component
  • Euro Stoxx 50 component
ISINNL0000235190IndustryAerospace, DefencePredecessorAérospatiale, CASA, DASA, MatraFounded18 December 1970; 53 years ago (1970-12-18)Headquarters
  • Blagnac (n. Toulouse), France (operational)
  • Leiden, Netherlands (legal)
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
ProductsRevenueIncrease 65.45 billion (2023)Decrease €4.60 billion (2023)Decrease €3.79 billion (2023)Total assetsIncrease €118.87 billion (2023)Total equityIncrease €17.73 billion (2023)Owner
  • SOGEPA (French Government): 10.9%[1]
  • GZBV [de] (German Government): 10.9%[2]
  • SEPI (Spanish Government): 4.1%[3][4]
Number of employees
147,893 (2023)DivisionsSubsidiariesWebsiteairbus.comFootnotes / references
Financials as of 31 December 2022[update].
References:[5][6][7]

Airbus SE (/ˈɛərbʌs/; French: [ɛʁbys] ; German: [ˈɛːɐ̯bʊs] ; Spanish: [ˈejɾβus]) is a European[8] multinational aerospace corporation. The company’s primary business is the design and manufacturing of commercial aircraft but it also has separate defence and space and helicopter divisions. Since 2019, Airbus has been the world's largest manufacturer of airliners as well as the leading helicopter manufacturer.[9][10]

The company was incorporated as the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) in the year 2000 through the merger of the French Aérospatiale and Matra, the German DASA and Spanish CASA. The new entity subsequently acquired full ownership of its subsidiary, Airbus Industrie GIE, a joint venture of European aerospace companies originally incorporated in 1970 to develop and produce a wide-body aircraft to compete with American-built airliners. EADS rebranded itself as Airbus SE in 2015. Reflecting its multinational origin, the company operates major offices and assembly plants in France, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom, along with more recent additions in Canada, China, and the United States.

Airbus' headquarters are legally registered in Leiden, Netherlands, but daily management is conducted from the company's main office located in Blagnac, France.[11] The SE in its corporate name stands for Societas Europaea.[12] The company is led by CEO Guillaume Faury and is a component of the EURO STOXX 50 stock market index.[13] Since its inception in 2000, the company’s shares have traded on the Bolsa de Madrid, Euronext Paris, and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.[14]

History

The current company is the product of consolidation in the European aerospace industry, tracing back to the formation of the Airbus Industrie GIE consortium in 1970. In 2000, the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) NV was established. In addition to other subsidiaries pertaining to security and space activities, EADS owned 100% of the pre-existing Eurocopter SA, established in 1992, as well as 80% of Airbus Industrie GIE. In 2001, Airbus Industrie GIE was reorganised as Airbus SAS, a simplified joint-stock company. In 2006, EADS acquired BAE Systems' remaining 20% of Airbus.[15] EADS NV was renamed Airbus Group NV and SE in 2014 and 2015, respectively.[16][17][18] Due to the dominance of the Airbus SAS division within Airbus Group SE, the executive committees of the parent and subsidiary companies were aligned in January 2017, but the companies were kept as separate legal entities. The holding company was given its present name in April 2017.[19]

Airbus
(est. 2000, renamed 2017)
Aérospatiale-Matra
(est. 1999)

Aérospatiale
(est. 1970)

Matra
(est. 1937)

DASA
(est. 1989)

Daimler-Benz (aerospace unit)
(est. 1926)

Dornier Flugzeugwerke
(est. 1922)

Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB)
(est. 1968)

CASA (Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA)
(est. 1923)

  • v
  • t
  • e

The logos of Airbus Industrie GIE and Airbus SAS displayed a stylized turbine symbol, redolent of a jet engine, and a font similar to Helvetica Black. The logo colours were reflected in the standard Airbus aircraft livery in each period. The EADS logo between 2000 and 2010 combined the logos of the merged companies, DaimlerChrysler Aerospace AG (a four-ray star) and Aérospatiale-Matra (a curved arrow), after which these elements were removed and a new font with 3D shading was chosen. This font was retained in the logos of Airbus Group NV (2014–2015) and Airbus Group SE (2015–2017), then Airbus SE:

Products

Civilian

Airbus A300, the company's first airliner and the world's first wide-body, twinjet aircraft

The Airbus product line started with the A300 in 1972, the world's first wide-body, twinjet aircraft. The aircraft greatly benefited from the 1976 introduction of the ETOPS 90 rule, which allowed twinjet aircraft to operate up to 90 minutes (increased from 60 minutes) away from the nearest airport. Under the new rule, the A300 was able to operate over the North Atlantic, the Bay of Bengal, and the Indian Ocean more efficiently than the trijets and four-engined jet aircraft offered by competitors. A shorter, re-winged, re-engineered variant of the A300, known as the A310, followed in 1982. The aircraft would remain in production until 2007.

Airbus A320, the company's best-selling airliner

Building on its success with the A300, Airbus worked to develop a narrow-body aircraft along with additional wide-body aircraft based on the A300.

The narrow-body efforts led to the launch of the A320 in 1987, which was and continues to be a major commercial success. The A320 was the first commercial jet to use a digital fly-by-wire control system. All Airbus aircraft developed since then have cockpit systems similar to the A320, making it easier to train crew. The success led Airbus to introduce a lengthened version, the A321 in 1993, along with the shorter A319 in 1995 and the even shorter A318 in 2002. In 2016, Airbus re-engineered the narrow-body family, in a programme called the A320neo (new engine option).

The wide-body programme led to the introduction of the four-engine A340 in 1991 and the twinjet A330 in 1992. At that time, Airbus wanted to offer four-engined jet aircraft to allow for longer transatlantic and transpacific flights. However, during the aircraft's development, new rules extended twinjet operations to 120 minutes in 1986, and 180 minutes in 1989. Although the new rules hurt sales of the A340, they greatly benefited the A330. Production of the A340 ended in 2011, while the A330 would be re-engineered as the A330neo (new engine option) in 2018.

The world's largest passenger airliner was introduced by Airbus in 2005; the A380 was a four-engine aircraft with two full-length passenger seating decks. Intended to challenge the dominance of the Boeing 747 in the long-haul market, the A380 was ultimately a money-losing venture for Airbus due to large development costs and limited sales, and production ended in January 2022.

The A350, a wide-body, twinjet aircraft was introduced in 2013. The A350 was the first Airbus aircraft made largely from carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers. It is longer and wider than the fuselage used on the A300, A310, A330, and A340.

A second narrow-body jet was added to the product list in 2018 when Airbus gained control of the Bombardier CSeries programme, and rebranded it as the A220. The jet offers five-abreast seating compared to the six-abreast seating on the A320.

Product list and details (date information from Airbus)
Aircraft Description Seats 1st flight Production end Orders Deliveries Unfilled In operation
A220 2 engines, narrow-body 108–130 16 September 2013 914 322 592 322
A300 2 engines, wide-body 228–254 28 October 1972 27 March 2007 561 561 219
A310 2 engines, wide-body 187 3 April 1982 27 March 1998 255 255 52
A320 2 engines, narrow-body 107–185 22 February 1987 18,460 11,328 7,132 10,630
A330 2 engines, wide-body 246–300 2 November 1992 1,771 1,595 176 1,479
A340 4 engines, wide-body 239–377 25 October 1991 10 November 2011 377 377 202
A350 2 engines, wide-body 270–350 14 June 2013 1,239 587 652 586
A380 4 engines, wide-body, double deck 555 27 April 2005 1 January 2022 251 251 234

Data as of 29 February 2024.[20]

The company is also a 50% owner of the ATR joint venture which builds the ATR 42 and ATR 72 regional aircraft

Corporate jets

VIP aircraft Airbus A330 of Qatar Amiri Flight taxiing at Zagreb Airport

Airbus Corporate Jets markets and modifies new aircraft for private and corporate customers. It has a model range that parallels the commercial aircraft offered by the company. Following the entry of the 737-based Boeing Business Jet, Airbus joined the business jet market with the A319 Corporate Jet in 1997. Although the term Airbus Corporate Jet was initially used only for the A319CJ, it is now often used for all models, including VIP widebodies. As of December 2008, 121 corporate and private jets are operating, and 164 aircraft have been ordered.[21]

The company is also a 10% owner of Dassault Aviation, which builds the Falcon family of smaller business jets.

Military

The first A400M in Seville, 26 June 2008

Airbus Defence and Space markets and either builds or modifies new aircraft for military use. Airbus became increasingly interested in developing and selling to the military aviation market in the late 1990s. It embarked on two main fields of development: aerial refuelling with the Airbus A310 MRTT (Multi-Role Tanker Transport) and later the Airbus A330 MRTT, and tactical airlift with the Airbus A400M Atlas. The company has also continued to market and assemble some military aircraft previously offered by the companies that formed Airbus, notably CASA.

The A310 and A330-based MRTT aircraft are conversions of civilian airliners. The aircraft are called multi-role tanker transports because, in addition to their aerial refuelling capability, the aircraft can also be configured for troop transport, medevac, and cargo transportation.

The A400M Atlas is a four-engine, turboprop-powered tactical transport aircraft. The A400M is sized between the American-made C-130 and the C-17 transports, and while it can carry heavier loads than the C-130, its turboprop engines allow it to retain the ability to use rough landing strips. The A400M was developed for European NATO members, Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain, Turkey, and the UK, as an alternative to relying on foreign aircraft. During development, the A400M programme faced delays and cost overruns;[22][23] with customer nations stepping in offer additional subsidies.[24][25] The first aircraft was delivered to the French Air Force in 2013, and by 2023, more than 100 aircraft had been built.

The Defence and Space division also market and assembles the Airbus C295, a smaller tactical transport aircraft, that was designed and initially manufactured by the Spanish aerospace company CASA.

The company is also a 50% owner of the ArianeGroup joint venture which builds the Ariane 5 space launch vehicle, a 46% owner of the Eurofighter joint venture which builds the Typhoon fighter jet, a 42.5% owner of the Panavia Aircraft joint venture which built the Tornado fighter jet, a 37.5% owner of the MBDA joint venture which builds missiles, and a 10% owner of Dassault Aviation which builds the Rafale fighter jet, and previously, the Mirage 2000 fighter.

Helicopters

Airbus Helicopters markets and builds new rotorcraft for civilian and military use. The division was founded formed in 1992 as the Eurocopter Group, through the merger of the helicopter divisions of Aérospatiale and DASA (two of the founding companies of Airbus). Airbus Helicopters is largest player in the turbine helicopter industry both in terms of revenues and deliveries.

The division's civilian products include the single engine H125 and H130, the light twin engine H135 and H145, the medium twin engine H155 and H160, the super medium twin engine H175, and the heavy twin engine H215 and H225.

Military products include the Tiger attack helicopter, along with militarized versions of the H125, H135, H145, H160, H175, H215, and H225.

The company is also a 62.5% owner of the NHIndustries joint venture, which builds the NH90 military utility helicopter.

Organisation

Divisions

Revenues by division, as of 2018:

  Commercial aircraft (74%)
  Defence and Space (17%)
  Helicopters (9%)

Commercial Aircraft

Commercial aircraft generated 74% of total revenue for the Airbus group in 2018.[26] The key trends for Airbus Commercial Aircraft (excluding Defence, Space and Helicopters) are as of the financial year ending 31 December:[27]

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Revenue (€b) 49.2 43.4 47.9 54.7 34.2 36.1 41.4 47.7
Operating income[a] (€b) 1.5 2.2 4.2 1.7 −1.3 4.1 4.8 3.6
Value of order book (€b) 1,010 950 411[b] 424 324 345 390 490
Number of employees 73,852 74,542 80,924 80,985 78,487 73,560 79,134 90,032
Unfulfilled orders[c] 6,874 7,265 7,577 7,482 7,184 7,082 7,239 8,598
Net order intake 731 1,109 747 768 268 507 820 2,094
Aircraft deliveries 688 718 800 863 566 611 661 735

Defence and Space

The division Airbus Defence and Space was formed in January 2014 as part of the group restructuring from the former EADS divisions Airbus Military, Astrium, and Cassidian (composed of Cassidian Electronics – develops and manufactures sensors, radars, avionics and electronic warfare systems for military and security applications, Cassidian Air Systems – develops manned and unmanned aerial systems (UAVs), mission avionics, electronic defence and warning systems and Cassidian Systems – provides global security systems such as command & control, lead system integration, TETRA and TETRAPOL communication systems for public safety, industry, transportation and defence. This line of business was the first one in the world to begin field tests with TETRA Enhanced Data Service (TEDS).[28]).[29]

  • EADS 3 Sigma – a Hellenic company focused on the design, development, production and services provision of airborne and surface target drone systems.

The Airbus Military division, which manufactured tanker, transport and mission aircraft; Airbus Helicopters, the world's largest helicopter supplier; Astrium, provided systems for aerial, land, naval and civilian security applications including Ariane, Galileo and Cassidian. Through Cassidian, EADS was a partner in the Eurofighter consortium as well as in the missile systems provider MBDA.

Helicopters

Airbus Helicopters, formerly known as Eurocopter, is a helicopter manufacturing and support company.

Structural evolution of Airbus SE
  • v
  • t
  • e
Dec 1970 Jan 1992 July 2000 Sep 2000 Jan 2001 Dec 2006 Apr 2009 Sep 2010 Jan 2014 May 2015 Jan 2017 Apr 2017
    European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company NV Airbus Group NV Airbus Group SE Airbus SE   
Airbus Industrie GIE Airbus SAS     
  Airbus Military SAS Airbus Defence and Space SAS   
    EADS Defence and Security Cassidian SAS
    Astrium SAS EADS Astrium SAS
  Eurocopter SA Eurocopter SAS Airbus Helicopters SAS   
                       
An Airbus A330neo and a Qatar Airways Airbus A350-900 at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport
Airbus A321 in new Wizz Air livery at Brest airport, Belarus

Subsidiaries

Joint ventures

Name Holding Description
Airbus Canada Limited Partnership
75%
manufacturer of the Airbus A220 family of airliners
ArianeGroup
50%
manufacturer of the Ariane 5 and Ariane 6 space launch vehicles
ATR
50%
manufacturer of the ATR 42 and ATR 72 regional aircraft
Dassault Aviation
10%
manufacturer of the Rafale fighter jet and Falcon business jet
Eurofighter
46%
manufacturer of the Typhoon fighter jet
MBDA
37.5%
manufacturer of missile systems
NHIndustries
62.5%
manufacturer of the NH90 military utility helicopter
Panavia Aircraft
42.5%
manufacturer of the Tornado fighter jet

Largest shareholders

The 10 largest shareholder of Airbus in early 2024 were:[37]

Senior leadership

The corporate management of Airbus is:[38]

Former chairmen
  1. Franz Josef Strauss (1970–1988)
  2. Edzard Reuter (1994–1998)
  3. Jürgen E. Schrempp (1998–2000)
  4. Manfred Bischoff (2000–2007)
  5. Arnaud Lagardère (2007–2013)
  6. Denis Ranque (2013–2019)
Former chief executives
  1. Henri Ziegler (1970–1975)
  2. Bernard Lathière (1975–1984)
  3. Jean Pierson (1985–1998)
  4. Noël Forgeard (1998–2005)
  5. Gustav Humbert (2005–2006)
  6. Christian Streiff (2006)
  7. Louis Gallois (2006–2012)
  8. Tom Enders (2012–2019)

International manufacturing presence

43°36′44″N 1°21′47″E / 43.61222°N 1.36306°E / 43.61222; 1.36306)