Airbus
 | |
 Lagardère production plant in Blagnac, France | |
| Formerly |
|
|---|---|
| Type | Public |
| |
| ISIN | NL0000235190 |
| Industry | |
| Predecessor | Aérospatiale, CASA, DASA, Matra |
| Founded | 18 December 1970 |
| Headquarters | |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | |
| Products | |
| Revenue |  €73.42 billion[1] (2025) |
| €6.08 billion[1] (2025) | |
| €4.96 billion[1] (2025) | |
| Total assets | €134.94 billion[1] (2025) |
| Total equity | €26.18 billion[1] (2025) |
| Owner | |
Number of employees | 165,294[1] (2025) |
| Divisions | |
| Subsidiaries | |
| Website | airbus |
| Footnotes Financials as of 31 December 2025[update]. References:[1][5][6] | |
Airbus SE (/ˈɛərbʌs/ AIR-buss; French: [ɛʁbys] ⓘ; German: [ˈɛːɐ̯bʊs] ⓘ; Spanish: [ˈejɾβus]) is a European[7] aerospace corporation. While the company's primary business is the design and manufacture of commercial aircraft, it also operates separate divisions for Defence and Space and Helicopters. Airbus has long been the world's leading helicopter manufacturer and, in 2019, emerged as the world's largest manufacturer of airliners.[8][9]
Airbus originated from Airbus Industrie GIE, a consortium of European aerospace companies established in 1970 to produce a wide-body aircraft to compete with American-built airliners. In 2000, the consortium's parent firms—Aérospatiale-Matra of France, DASA of Germany, and CASA of Spain—merged to form the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS), which later acquired full ownership of Airbus Industrie. EADS rebranded as Airbus SE in 2015. Reflecting its multinational origins, the company operates offices and assembly plants in France, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom, along with more recent additions in Canada, Malaysia, the United States, Morocco, and India.[10][11]
Airbus's headquarters are legally registered in Leiden, Netherlands, while day-to-day management is conducted from the company's main office in Blagnac, France.[12] The SE in its name denotes Societas Europaea, a public company under European Union corporate law.[13] Airbus is led by CEO Guillaume Faury and is included in the EURO STOXX 50 stock market index.[14] Since its inception in 2000, the company's shares have been listed on the Paris, Frankfurt, and four Spanish stock exchanges, including the Bolsa de Madrid.[15]
History
[edit]Airbus is the product of several historical forces: the desire of European governments to create an aerospace and defence manufacturer large enough to compete with major American firms; the consolidation of the sector following the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the ensuing "peace dividend", which raised concerns that companies could be acquired by non-European firms; and efforts to privatise state-owned companies.
The company traces its origins to the formation of the Airbus Industrie GIE, a consortium of European aerospace companies established in 1970 to produce a wide-body aircraft to compete with American-built airliners. France's state-owned Aérospatiale owned 37.9% of Airbus Industrie, West Germany's Deutsche Airbus also owned 37.9%, British Aerospace held 20%, and Spain's largely state-owned CASA owned 4.2%.
In 2000, the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) was established through the merger of Aérospatiale and Matra of France, DASA (the successor to Deutsche Airbus) of Germany, and CASA. EADS held 100% of Eurocopter S.A., established in 1992 and later renamed Airbus Helicopters, along with 80% of Airbus Industrie GIE, which was quickly reorganised as Airbus S.A.S., a simplified joint-stock company. In 2006, EADS acquired the remaining 20% of Airbus S.A.S. from BAE Systems (the successor of British Aerospace).[16] EADS was renamed Airbus Group N.V. in 2014 and Airbus Group S.E. in 2015.[17][18][19]
Airbus S.A.S. and Airbus Group S.E. were merged in January 2017, and in April 2017 the combined entity adopted the name Airbus SE. Since then, Airbus SE has owned the commercial aircraft manufacturing operations while also serving as the parent company of the other two divisions, Airbus Defence and Space and Airbus Helicopters.
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| (est. 2000, renamed 2017) |
Products
[edit]Civilian
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The Airbus product line started with the A300 in 1972, the world's first wide-body, twinjet aircraft. Initial sales were slow, leading to calls to end the Airbus program.[20] However, the aircraft would greatly benefit from the 1976 introduction of the ETOPS 90 rule, which allowed twinjet aircraft to operate up to 90 minutes—an increase 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,[21] : 14 making it a more efficient alternative to the trijets and four-engined aircraft offered by competitors, leading to renewed airline interest and a sharp increase in sales.[22][23]
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Airbus then developed the A310 to meet demand for a shorter-body but longer-range version of the A300. The aircraft also introduced a glass cockpit, which eliminated the need for a flight engineer, and a redesigned rear fuselage that used space more efficiently, creating additional capacity. The A310 was manufactured from 1981 to 1998. These design changes were later incorporated into the A300, resulting in the A300-600.
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Building on its success with the A300, Airbus developed the narrow-body A320 aircraft that was launched in 1987, which became and remains a major commercial success. The A320 was the first commercial jet to use a digital fly-by-wire control system. All Airbus models developed since have adopted cockpit systems similar to the A320, making it easier for crews to transition between aircraft types. The success of the A320 led Airbus to introduce a lengthened version, the A321, in 1993, followed by the shorter A319 in 1995 and the even shorter A318 in 2002. In 2016, Airbus re-engineered the narrow-body family under a programme called the A320neo (new engine option).
Airbus also embarked on an effort to develop new wide-body aircraft derived from the cross-section of the A300, but with greater range and seating capacity and integrating technologies developed from the A320 programme. This effort led to the introduction of the four-engine A340 in 1991 and the twinjet A330 in 1992. At that time, Airbus wanted to offer a four-engined jet aircraft to allow for transpacific flights. However, during the aircraft's development, new ETOPS rules extended twinjet operations to 120 minutes in 1986 and 180 minutes in 1989. Although these changes hurt sales of the A340, they greatly benefited the A330. Production of the A340 ended in 2011, while the A330 was re-engineered as the A330neo (new engine option) in 2018.
In 2005, Airbus introduced the world's largest passenger airliner: the A380 is 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 arising from high operating costs, and production ended in December 2021.
The A350, a wide-body, twinjet aircraft, was introduced in 2015. The A350 was the first Airbus aircraft that was largely produced 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.
In December 2024, it was reported that the total aircraft delivery in the year for Airbus has reached 643 units, with 84 planes delivered in November 2024 alone.[24] Subsequently, in January 2025, it was reported that Airbus had successfully delivered 766 aircraft to its customers out of 878 orders in the entire 2024, marking a 4% increase from the previous year.[25] In October 2025, the A320 overtook the Boeing 737 as the most delivered airliner.[26]
| Aircraft | Description | Typical seating | 1st flight | Last delivery | Orders | Deliveries | Unfilled | In operation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A220 | 2 engines, narrow-body | 100–150[27][28] | 16 September 2013 (as the Bombardier CSeries)[29] | 949 | 482 | 467 | 478 | |
| A300 | 2 engines, wide-body | 228–254 | 28 October 1972[30] | 12 July 2007[31] | 561 | 561 | — | 209 |
| A310 | 2 engines, wide-body | 190-230[32] | 3 April 1982[33] | 15 June 1998[34] | 255 | 255 | — | 47 |
| A320 | 2 engines, narrow-body | 107–185 | 22 February 1987[35] | 19,635 | 12,472 | 7,163 | 11,481 | |
| A330 | 2 engines, wide-body | 246–300 | 2 November 1992[36] | 1,955 | 1,661 | 294 | 1476 | |
| A340 | 4 engines, wide-body | 210–370[37][38][39][40] | 25 October 1991[41] | 16 July 2010[42] | 377 | 377 | — | 180 |
| A350 | 2 engines, wide-body | 300–410[43][44] | 14 June 2013[45] | 1,529 | 699 | 830 | 698 | |
| A380 | 4 engines, wide-body, double deck | 555–853 | 27 April 2005[46] | 16 December 2021[47] | 251 | 251 | — | 215 |
| Data as of 31 December 2025.[48] | ||||||||
Corporate jets
[edit]
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.[49]
The company also owns 10% of Dassault Aviation, which builds the Falcon family of smaller business jets.
Military
[edit]
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;[50][51] with customer nations stepping in to offer additional subsidies.[52][53] 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 markets and assembles the EADS CASA 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 formerly a 10% owner of Dassault Aviation which builds the Rafale fighter jet, and previously, the Mirage 2000 fighter.
Helicopters
[edit]Airbus Helicopters builds and markets 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 the foremost player in the turbine helicopter industry in terms of both revenue 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 militarised versions of the H125, H135, H145, H160, H175, H215, and H225.
The company owns 62.5% of NHIndustries joint venture, which builds the NH90 military utility helicopter.
Organisation
[edit]Divisions
[edit]- Commercial aircraft (72.0%)
- Defence and Space (17.0%)
- Helicopters (11.0%)
Commercial Aircraft
[edit]Commercial aircraft generated 74% of total revenue for the Airbus group in 2018 and 72% in 2023.[54][55] The key trends for Airbus Commercial Aircraft (excluding Defence, Space and Helicopters) are as of each financial year ending 31 December:[56]
| Revenue (€ b) |
Operating income[a] (€ b) |
Value of order book (€ b) |
Unfulfilled orders[b] |
Net order intake |
Aircraft deliveries |
Number of employees | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 49.2 | 1.5 | 1,010 | 6,874 | 731 | 688 | 73,852 |
| 2017 | 43.4 | 2.2 | 950 | 7,265 | 1,109 | 718 | 74,542 |
| 2018 | 47.9 | 4.2 | 411[c] | 7,577 | 747 | 800 | 80,924 |
| 2019 | 54.7 | 1.7 | 424 | 7,482 | 768 | 863 | 80,985 |
| 2020 | 34.2 | −1.3 | 324 | 7,184 | 268 | 566 | 78,487 |
| 2021 | 36.1 | 4.1 | 345 | 7,082 | 507 | 611 | 73,560 |
| 2022 | 41.4 | 4.8 | 390 | 7,239 | 820 | 661 | 79,134 |
| 2023 | 47.7 | 3.6 | 490 | 8,598 | 2,094 | 735 | 90,032 |
| 2024 | 50.6 | 559 | 8,658 | 826 | 766 | ||
| 2025 | 52.6 | 540 | 8,754 | 889 | 793 |
Defence and Space
[edit]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).[57][58]
- 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 MBDA missile systems manufacturer.
Helicopters
[edit]Airbus Helicopters, formerly known as Eurocopter, is a helicopter manufacturing and support company.
| 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 | |||||||||||
Subsidiaries
[edit]- Airbus APWorks[59]
- AirBusiness Academy[60]
- Airbus Flight Academy
- Airbus Group, Inc. – the US holding company for the North American activities of Airbus Group
- Airbus Transport International – cargo airline managing the transportation of Airbus parts between facilities
- Airbus Protect[61]
- Airbus Crisa[62]
- Dornier Consulting
- GPT[63]
- NAVBLUE
- Premium AEROTEC[64]
- Satair
- Airbus Atlantic
- Testia
- UP42[65]
- VoltAir
Joint ventures
[edit]| Name | Holding | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Airbus Canada Limited Partnership | manufacturer of the Airbus A220 family of airliners | |
| ArianeGroup | manufacturer of the Ariane 6 space launch vehicle | |
| ATR | manufacturer of the ATR 42 and ATR 72 regional aircraft | |
| Dassault Aviation | manufacturer of the Rafale fighter and Falcon business jets | |
| Eurofighter | manufacturer of the Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jet | |
| MBDA | manufacturer of missile systems | |
| NHIndustries | manufacturer of the NH90 military utility helicopter | |
| Panavia Aircraft | manufacturer of the Tornado fighter jet |
Largest shareholders
[edit]The 10 largest shareholders of Airbus in early 2026 were: [66]
- Government of France (via SOGEPA) (10.83%)
- Government of Germany (via KfW) (10.82%)
- Capital Research and Management Company (9.90%)
- BlackRock (4.38%)
- Government of Spain (via SEPI) (4.08%)
- The Vanguard Group (3.21%)
- TCI Fund Management (3.02%)
- Amundi (1.18%)
- Union Asset Management Holding AG (0.84%)
- FMR LLC (0.83%)
Senior leadership
[edit]The corporate management of Airbus is:[67]
- Chairman: René Obermann (since April 2020)
- Chief Executive: Guillaume Faury (since April 2019)
- Former chairmen
- Franz Josef Strauss (1970–1988)
- Edzard Reuter (1994–1998)
- Jürgen E. Schrempp (1998–2000)
- Manfred Bischoff (2000–2007)
- Arnaud Lagardère (2007–2013)
- Denis Ranque (2013–2019)
- Former chief executives
- Henri Ziegler (1970–1975)
- Bernard Lathière (1975–1984)