Airbus, 1970 France, aeronautical manufacturer information

Name: Airbus
Country: France
Founded: 1970

Airbus SE is a European aerospace corporation primarily focused on the design and manufacturing of commercial aircraft. The company also operates separate divisions dedicated to defense, space, and helicopters. Over the years, Airbus has grown to be the leading helicopter manufacturer globally, and in 2019, it became the world's largest producer of airliners.

Airbus history

The company was initially incorporated as the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) in 2000. This was the result of a merger between several aerospace entities, including the French company Aérospatiale-Matra, the German company DASA, and Spain’s CASA. Through this merger, EADS took full ownership of Airbus Industrie GIE, a joint venture that had been established in 1970 to develop a wide-body aircraft that could compete with American-built airliners. In 2015, EADS rebranded itself as Airbus SE. The multinational nature of Airbus is reflected in its operations, which include major offices and assembly plants in France, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom, as well as more recent locations in Canada, Malaysia, and the United States.

Though Airbus is legally headquartered in Leiden, Netherlands, its main office, where daily management takes place, is located in Blagnac, France. The SE in its name stands for Societas Europaea, and the company is currently led by CEO Guillaume Faury. Airbus is also part of the EURO STOXX 50 stock market index and has been publicly listed on various stock exchanges since its inception, including the Paris Stock Exchange, the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, and the regional Spanish stock exchanges.

The origins of Airbus can be traced back to the formation of Airbus Industrie GIE in 1970, which marked the beginning of consolidation in the European aerospace industry. In 2000, the creation of EADS NV integrated a variety of subsidiaries involved in security, space, and helicopter manufacturing, including Eurocopter SA, which had been established in 1992. By 2001, Airbus Industrie GIE was reorganized into Airbus SAS, a simplified joint-stock company. EADS later acquired BAE Systems’ remaining 20% of Airbus in 2006, and in 2014, EADS was renamed Airbus Group NV. A year later, it became Airbus Group SE. As Airbus SAS became the dominant division within the group, the parent company and its subsidiary aligned their executive committees in 2017, although they remained separate legal entities. The parent company took on its current name, Airbus SE, in April 2017.

Throughout its history, the branding of Airbus has evolved. The logos of Airbus Industrie GIE and Airbus SAS featured a stylized turbine symbol and a font similar to Helvetica Black, which were also reflected in the livery of Airbus aircraft. After the merger that formed EADS, the company’s logo incorporated elements from the logos of the merged companies, such as the four-ray star from DaimlerChrysler Aerospace AG and a curved arrow from Aérospatiale-Matra. These elements were removed after 2010, and the company adopted a new font with 3D shading, which remained in use through the branding of Airbus Group SE and continues today under the name Airbus SE.

Airbus aircrafts

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