Airbus history
| Airbus began with a bold decision to challenge American domination of the skies. Today, some 35 years later, Airbus is one of the world’s leading aircraft manufacturers. |
| Airbus was officially formed in 1970 as a consortium of France’s Aerospatiale and Deutsche Airbus, a grouping of leading German aircraft manufacturing firms. Together the companies had decided to build the A300, the first twin-engine widebody airliner, to fill a gap in the market and to challenge American supremacy in the aviation industry. Shortly afterwards Spain’s CASA joined the consortium and in 1974 the Airbus Industrie GIE, as it was known – Groupe d’Intérêt Economique – moved its headquarters from Paris to Toulouse. British Aerospace joined Airbus Industrie in 1979. Each of the four partners, known as Airbus France, Airbus Deutschland, Airbus UK and Airbus España, operated as national companies with special responsibilities for producing parts of the aircraft, to be transported to Toulouse for final assembly. The GIE provided a single face for sales, marketing and customer support. Airbus developed a deserved reputation for innovation and for listening to the needs of its customers. As Airbus’ success took hold with the A300/A310 Family, the A320 Family – with its landmark fly-by-wire technology which established commonality as key appeal of Airbus aircraft – and the long-range A330/A340 Family, the need to streamline operations to meet growing demand increased. The drive towards closer working across national boundaries also intensified as the practical benefits became clear: better quality, faster production, reduced costs and a workforce which felt part of an international family. So, in 2001, Airbus became a single fully integrated company. The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS), a merger of the French, German and Spanish interests, acquired 80 per cent of the shares and BAE SYSTEMS, the successor to British Aerospace, 20 per cent . Another bold step in the evolution of Airbus was taken in 2004, by which time the company had overtaken its main rival by delivering more aircraft and by securing more orders. In a major reorganisation, designed to equip the company to maintain its lead in the industry, Centres of Excellence were set up to simplify and unify the design and production management processes. Each CoE is responsible for specific parts of the aircraft and has its own chain of decision-making and command. Airbus put the seal on its successful evolution with the unveiling, in January, 2005, of the A380, the world’s largest and most advanced passenger aircraft. In April 2005, the A380 performed its first flight. Seating typically 555 passengers, the A380 is being hailed as the “future of flying”. It is certainly Airbus’ answer to the needs of its customers for a very large aircraft able to cope with rising demand on high density major hub routes without increasing the number of flights. But Airbus has also addressed the needs of operators seeking to service demand on long-range point-to-point routes. The A380’s unveiling was preceded by an announcement that Airbus is to build the A350, a longer-range mid-size twin engine aircraft that will bring unprecedented levels of efficiency and comfort to the long range market. |
