Feature story

Airbus innovation has landed at the Farnborough International Airshow in the form of a dedicated pavilion that promotes the wide range of new technologies and research being developed within the aviation industry. 

A focal point of Airbus’ programme at the Innovation Zone exhibit – located bet...

Improvements to the twin-engine A330 – including integration of technology developed for Airbus’ new A350 – will further expand the operating range and payload capability of this long-popular jetliner by boosting its maximum takeoff weight to 240 metric tonnes.

Formal launch of the increased-range ...

The presence of a Malaysia Airlines A380 at this week’s Farnborough Airshow is particularly appropriate – spotlighting the carrier’s service introduction with Airbus’ 21^st century flagship jetliner between nearby London Heathrow Airport and its home city of Kuala Lumpur. 

Participat...

The talk of the 2012 Farnborough International Airshow is Airbus’ milestone decision to create a U.S. final assembly line in Mobile, Alabama for its best-selling A320 Family jetliners – a strategy that was announced last week.

This game-changing move was being celebrated even before the biennial U....

Only hours after Airbus announced its historic decision to develop the U.S. A320 Family final assembly line in Mobile, Alabama, a “first” aircraft already was being presented at the future Brookley Aeroplex production site.

The following comments provide examples of airline and industry supplier reaction to Airbus’ announcement of its new A320 Family final assembly line in the United States, to be located at Brookley Aeroplex in Mobile, Alabama: 

Richard Anderson, CEO, Delta Air Lines:“Delta is one of t...

The new A320 Family final assembly line in Mobile, Alabama will expand on an already-successful Airbus presence at the city’s Brookley Aeroplex facility – where a growing company team has been providing hands-on engineering support for the A380, A330 and A350 XWB programs.

Mobile, Alabama’s Brookley Aeroplex site for the new Airbus A320 Family final assembly line has a long aviation tradition, with historic ties that date to the early days of manned flight.

Airbus’ A320 Family final assembly line at Mobile, Alabama will build on the success of two other aircraft production programs in the United States with its EADS parent company, both located at a purpose-built helicopter center of excellence created in the neighboring state of Mississippi.

The future home of Airbus’ U.S. A320 Family final assembly line is strategically positioned to benefit from water, road, rail and air links – facilitating the company’s first-ever production of jetliners on American soil.

Airbus is putting greater emphasis on protecting – and when appropriate, promoting – its diverse range of company-developed technological advances and innovations with an optimised new system now in place for effectively managing intellectual property.

To confirm that all ideas and concep...

Airbus is committed to assisting its customers through all aspects of aircraft ownership.  In support of this philosophy, the company has been working to expand the services offered for the in-service fleet of more than 6,700 Airbus aircraft making 21,000 flights each day, as well as offering a...

Continuing its philosophy to provide the most comfortable in-flight experience for passengers, Airbus is now offering Extra Wide Seats on its industry-leading A320 Family jetliners – providing adequate space for those who need it, while giving airline operators a new method to generate additional re...

As part of its on-going commitment to enhancing the aviation sector’s environmental performance, Airbus is championing “the perfect flight” as an effective means for achieving short-term eco-efficiency goals as a bridge to break-through technologies that are years away from becoming a reality.

Qantas is preparing for the re-entry into service of its first A380, the Nancy Bird Walton, following a highly successful repair/rebuild programme that underscores the effectiveness and reactivity of Airbus’ global engineering network. 

This comprehensive effort addressed damage resulting from...

The A350 XWB’s advanced cabin took centre stage at the 2012 Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany, where Airbus presented a number of modular and efficient design solutions for its next-generation widebody jetliner family.

The A380’s current headline-making demonstration tour across Latin America follows a record-breaking regional sales performance by Airbus in 2011, during which the company received new orders for 100 commercial jetliners.

Airbus’ 21st century flagship A380 is generating a significant “buzz” in Latin America as this widebody jetliner continues its multi-city demonstration tour through the dynamic market.

During the tour’s first two stops – Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil – the aircraft was greeted by enthusias...

Airbus today kicked off its participation during the Latin American market’s largest air show, FIDAE (Feria Internacional del Aire y del Espacio) in Santiago de Chile – highlighted by an opening day flight presentation of the company’s 21st century flagship A380. 

The double-deck jetliner is b...

Latin America’s dynamic economy is expected to create a tripling of the region’s air traffic during the next 20 years, driving the demand through 2030 for over 2,000 new aircraft with seating capacities of more than 100 passengers – according to the Airbus Global Market Forecast.

Brazil, which is welcoming the A380 demonstrator aircraft on the first stops of its Latin American tour this month, is a key country market for Airbus jetliners.

This month’s A380 multi-city tour of Latin America comes nearly 40 years after the milestone visit by another revolutionary Airbus jetliner– the no. 1 A300, which made stopovers in Brazil, Venezuela and Mexico during September-October 1973.

The A380’s arrival in Latin America this week for a multi-country demonstration tour comes as the 21st century Airbus flagship jetliner confirms its operational success with a growing in-service fleet worldwide.

Airbus today delivered the 80th aircraft produced on its A320 Family final assembly line in Tianjin, China, further underscoring continued success of the company’s globalisation strategy. 

The milestone jetliner was received by carrier Air China, which operates one of the largest A320 Family f...

Three Airbus-supported projects in the Atlantic Interoperability Initiative to Reduce Emissions (AIRE) have demonstrated how improved ground operations and air traffic management procedures can contribute to reductions in fuel consumption for the air transport industry.

The wide-reaching benefits of alternative aviation fuels were underscored in the world’s first long-term passenger service evaluations performed by Lufthansa using a bio-fuel/kerosene mix with an A321 jetliner, and supported by Airbus.

As aircraft liveries trend toward bolder and more intricate designs, Airbus is advancing development of an innovative computer-based system for effectively “printing” complicated graphics directly onto an aircraft’s surface.

A new specialised consulting service offered by Airbus will help improve the safety of landing operations at airports around the world, leveraging the capabilities of its advanced ELISE (Exact Landing Interference Simulation Environment) software.

As with Airbus, Singapore has always taken a forward-looking approach to the development of air transportation – which contributes to the country’s position as a world-class aviation hub.

From an infrastructure point of view, Singapore is aligned with Airbus on the need to build air traffic ma...

Innovation has always been at the forefront of Airbus’ leadership, and the company is now gaining further benefit from innovative concepts that originate within its EADS parent company.

One example displayed at the Singapore Airshow is the RHEA (Realistic Human Ergonomic Analysis) development tool,...

Airbus will expand its freighter family portfolio with the A330P2F conversion, modifying A330s that have completed their useful operational service as passenger jetliners for new careers as cargo aircraft.

This conversion programme, unveiled during the Singapore Airshow, brings together the resourc...

In its daily service with a growing number of customers worldwide – including operators throughout the Asia-Pacific region – the A330 is living up to its motto: “The right aircraft, right now.”

This twin-engine workhorse is utilised in a full range of applications, from regional passenger flights a...

The A380 will become an increasingly familiar sight in the skies over Asia-Pacific as two more of this region’s carriers add the 21st century flagship jetliner to their fleets in 2012.

Having begun its commercial operations in Asia-Pacific with Singapore Airlines in 2007, the A380 today is flown on...

Airbus has marked a new milestone in the company’s strategy to expand its services offer, adding a key customer for the Airbus Managed Inventory (AMI) solution.

At this week’s Singapore Airshow, the SIA Engineering Company signed for implementation of the AMI service – becoming its inaugural Asia-P...

Asia-Pacific continues as one of the top geographic markets for Airbus as the area’s airlines expand and modernise their fleets with a full range of jetliners in the company’s product line – from its best-selling A320 Family to the 21st century flagship A380. 

This region accounted for half of...

The need to use an aircraft’s main engines during ground taxi at airports may be eliminated with the innovative new “TaxiBot” tractor, which currently is under development by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) in close cooperation with Airbus.

Airbus’ commitment as a leader in reducing the air transport industry’s environmental impact is being highlighted during daily presentations by company managers at the Singapore Airshow’s “Green Pavilion” exhibit.

Its corporate strategy – which is based on a life-cycle approach encompassing the ful...

Asia will continue to be one of the fastest-growing markets for Airbus Corporate Jets, with sales of five aircraft or more per year forecasted based on demand throughout the region.

“In addition to continued activity in China, we are keeping our eyes on India and other countries such as Indonesia, ...

Airbus Military is picking up the delivery pace for its A330 MRTT (multi role tanker transport), with six of the 28 aircraft on order already received by international customers, and seven more deliveries planned in 2012.

A worldwide market need is anticipated for another 100 aircraft in the A330 M...

These are exciting times for the recently-created Airbus Corporate Jets business unit, which has a high-profile participation at the 2012 Singapore Airshow.

In addition to bringing an ACJ318 for its first-ever appearance at this biennial event, Airbus Corporate Jets is building on new momentum that...

The diversity of Airbus’ jetliner product line is being highlighted at the Singapore Airshow with the presence of two very different aircraft in the static display area: an ACJ318 corporate jet for VIP travel; and the A330 MRTT (Multi Role Tanker Transport) for military aerial refueling and airlift ...

Airline to use aircraft for new long-haul flights

The 2011-2030 Airbus Cargo Global Market Forecast foresees this sector continuing to demonstrate its resiliency to financial challenges and other worldwide pressures, generating an overall demand during the period for more than 2,700 jet freighter aircraft having cargo capacities of 10 tonnes and ab...

Continuity and stability in Airbus’ top management is ensured with the naming of Fabrice Brégier, the company’s current Chief Operating Officer, as its new Chief Executive Officer – effective 1 June. He will succeed Tom Enders, the current CEO, who becomes the Chief Executive Officer of Airbus pare...

Airbus Military booked five new orders for its C295/CN235 transports in 2011 while delivering a total of 29 aircraft from its product line during the year, bringing the business unit’s overall backlog to 222 aircraft as of 31 December.

The 2011 deliveries were composed of 20 aircraft from its light...

Two of the largest A380 customers – Emirates and Qantas – are introducing Wi-Fi internet connectivity on their 21st century flagship jetliners using services provided by OnAir, the company owned by Airbus and information technology solutions provider SITA.

As Airbus ramps up the production pace for its A320 Family, the company is ensuring this modern single-aisle product line’s assembly facilities in Toulouse, France and Hamburg, Germany are ready with the most capable and efficient tools possible.

Airbus is providing training and educational assistance to Abu Dhabi as this emirate proactively pursues its goal of creating a world-class aerospace industry.

In one step, Airbus worked with the Abu Dhabi government-owned Mubadala industrial grouping to create an apprentice school in the city of A...

The world’s only new-production mid-sized cargo jetliner is delivering on its promises, as the A330-200F demonstrates high reliability and flexibility during its first 14 months in operational service.

To date, A330-200F freighters have been provided by Airbus to four customers
–...

MASkargo’s operational experience is proving the A330-200F’s capabilities as a highly efficient, reliable and profitable freighter on a variety of international cargo flights.

Since receiving its initial A330-200F in September, this freight subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines has been flying the aircra...