Feature story

Airbus' Chinese Final Assembly Line remains on track to hand over 11 A320 Family aircraft to customers this year as the Tianjin facility marks its first delivery of two aircraft in a single month.

Air France will inaugurate A380 flights between Paris and New York in November, marking the jetliner’s first scheduled transatlantic service between Europe and the U.S.

After 21 years of operations, the final A300 has been phased out of service with American Airlines. The carrier acquired 35 aircraft for flights to the Caribbean and Central/South America.

The final A300 in American Airlines' fleet has been phased out, completing 21 years of service on routes from the U.S. t the Caribbean, Central America and South America.

Brazilian flag carrier TAM has taken delivery of the 4,000th A320 Family aircraft – an A319 – at the final assembly facility in Hamburg, Germany.

The A380 wrapped up its AirVenture air show appearance with an aerial salute to the hundreds of thousands of attendees who provided an overwhelmingly enthusiastic welcome to Airbus’ 21st century jetliner during its visit to the world’s greatest aviation celebration.

The A380 wrapped up its AirVenture air show appearance with an aerial salute to the hundreds of thousands of attendees who provided an overwhelmingly enthusiastic welcome to Airbus’ 21st century jetliner during its visit to “the world’s greatest aviation celebration.”

U.S. suppliers will continue to play a vital supporting role in Airbus' jetliner production as the company manages its output in today's challenging market conditions and prepares for the global recovery that is to follow.

The Czech Air Force's A319CJ fleet will be backed by a five year Flight Hour Services-Tailored Support Package (FHS-TSP) agreement that provides full component and engineering support, along with engine care, trend monitoring and heavy maintenance.

The worldwide network of A380 scheduled routes was expanded with Emirates' 1 June deployment of the 21st century Airbus flagship aircraft on service to Bangkok, Thailand and Toronto, Canada.

An action plan to improve the installation of A380 electrical wiring harness brackets - which can number as many as 60,000-80,000 per aircraft - will provide significant production improvements for the 21st century Airbus flagship jetliner.

Optimisation of scheduled maintenance programme intervals for A330/A340 Family jetliners has resulted in improvements in maintenance costs for these Airbus aircraft, which also contributes to their efficiency.

This year's Women in Aviation International (WAI) conference in Atlanta, Georgia provided Airbus the opportunity to honour two aviation students with $5,000 Airbus Leadership grants and award A320 type rating scholarships to two female pilots.

The contributions of Airbus toward improving aviation industry eco-efficiency is being highlighted at the Aviation & Environment Summit in Geneva, Switzerland.

The theme of "aviation pioneering and innovative spirit" has been selected as the Airbus Corporate Foundation's focal point in supporting company employees' efforts that bring aviation closer to the hearts and minds of youngsters in their local communities.

In response to the aviation market's current challenges, Airbus is taking a proactive approach that includes strategies to manage its aircraft deliveries and responses to airlines' evolving financing needs.

Reflecting its commitment to support the development of Vietnam's aerospace industry, Airbus is joining forces with Vietnam Airlines - as well as various national companies and France's ESMA Aviation Academy - to assist the development of pilot training in the country.

The initial wingset for the UK Royal Air Force's fleet of A330-based Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA) has been built by Airbus at its Broughton, England facility. Once outfitted with their control surfaces in Germany, the wings will be sent to the Airbus final assembly line in Toulouse, ...

Airbus' latest generation mid-size freighter aircraft, the A330-200F, was showcased as a capable, flexible and economical air cargo solution at the International Air Transport Association's World Cargo Symposium in Bangkok, Thailand.

A consolidation of providers and services in the transportation and logistics sectors should yield significant improvements in Airbus productivity. As part of this effort, a streamlined network of six major hubs will be established in Europe.

The development of P2F (passenger-to-freighter) versions of Airbus' A320 and A321 is progressing under the management of a multi-national joint venture, with the first aircraft's conversion process targeted for 2011.

The City of Hamburg roll-on/roll-off vessel has entered service for the transportation of A380 fuselage sections and wings. It expands the support capabilities for Airbus' A380 production network, and will be joined by another ship later this year.

The A380 will become a familiar site in South Korea starting later this year when Emirates introduces service from its home base of Dubai to Seoul. These flights are timed to coincide with 2010's Visit Korea Year activities.

A series of four Japanese newspaper advertisements provided first-hand endorsements of the A380 by executives who have flown aboard the 21st century Airbus flagship aircraft.

Initial flight evaluations with the TP400 engine for Airbus Military's A400M multi-role military airlifter are now underway on a test-bed aircraft.

Round 2 of the Airbus "Fly Your Ideas" challenge will begin on 1 January, with the 86 selected student teams working on proposals that offer potential new eco-efficient ideas for the aviation industry.

BTV technology provides optimised landing braking efficiency and runway turn-around time, thereby improving the traffic flow at airports. It will enter service in 2009 on the first Air France A380.

An industry team with Airbus' involvement will support the development phase of a large-scale project to reorganise the European air traffic control system by 2020.

Speaking at the 10th Nikkei Global Management Forum in Japan, Airbus' top executive said the company's focus continues to be creating the world's best aircraft and remaining a top supplier to the global air transport industry.

A research project between Airbus' Nantes site, Forest-Liné and Coriolis has developed new machinery to produce complex aircraft structures in composite material.

Airbus' new final assembly line in Tianjin, China marked a major milestone this summer with the arrival of its first aircraft sections.

Fuselage sections and other parts for the new A330-200F freighter aircraft are now taking shape throughout Airbus' production network.

Wind tunnel testing for the new A350 XWB is generating gigabytes of data each week as this new Airbus jetliner continues its development.

Airbus has delivered Singapore Airlines' fifth A380, which will allow the operator to replace more of its B747-400 flights on the Singapore-London route and create the first commercial A380 services to Beijing, China as passenger traffic increases leading up to the Olympic Games.

According to Airbus' latest Global Market Forecast, the German airliner and freighter fleet is expected to grow from over 500 aircraft in operation in 2006 to more than 1,100 by 2026. This growth represents a need for some 900 new commercial transports at a market value of US$109 billion.

Airbus predicts that the Chinese Mainland will need approximately 2,800 new passenger aircraft over the 20-year period covered by the company's latest Global Market Forecast - including 190 very large aircraft, such as the A380.

Growing aviation mobility demand and the need more for eco-efficient aircraft will drive the Nordic countries toward the acquisition of 436 new passenger aircraft in the coming 20 years, according to Airbus' latest Global Market Forecast.

The Spanish aviation industry is expected to nearly triple in size over the coming 20 years, which will create a demand for 415 new passenger aircraft with a combined total value of $45 billion, according to Airbus' latest Global Market Forecast.

In the next 20 years, Russian airlines will need more than 900 passenger jetliners for fleet expansion and aircraft replacement, according to Airbus' latest Global Market Forecast. This increase will be driven by Russia's domestic demand growth, which is expected to be the highest in the w...

A North American market demand will exist for 6,484 new passenger and freighter aircraft over the 20-year period from 2007 to 2026, according to Airbus' latest Global Market Forecast. This need will be driven in part by higher traffic volume and a requirement for more efficient, higher-capacit...

To meet the demand created by traffic growth and the need for replacement aircraft, Airbus' latest Global Market Forecast predicts that Brazilian airlines will acquire more than 330 passenger airliners over the coming 20 years, representing an approximate value of $32 billion.

In the 20-year period covered by its latest Global Market Forecast, Airbus foresees a demand among Mexican airlines for nearly 500 passenger aircraft with 100 seats or more - a figure which represents one third of all aircraft acquisitions by the Latin American market over that period.

Airbus's latest Global Market Forecast predicts that the Central European market will need 460 new passenger aircraft over the next 20 years - driven in part by increased traffic and a large replacement opportunity.

In its latest Global Market Forecast, Airbus predicts that strong passenger growth will lead Argentine carriers to acquire at least 100 passenger aircraft with 100 seats or more over the coming two decades.

The Airbus Forum on Aviation and the Environment brought together top representatives from airlines, airports, local governmental organisations, academia and the media for presentations and discussions at Narita, Japan.

Poland has been a key component in Airbus' aircraft production since 1997, applying their expertise on a wide range of the European aircraft manufacturer's programmes, including the A380 and A320. This cooperation is constantly expanding, with Airbus continuing to serve as one of the Polis...

South Africa's Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has become part of Airbus' global research and technology network, joining an effort to develop new computer-based simulation processes that will enhance the design process for future aircraft.

The future of aircraft cabins has been unveiled by Airbus, which exhibited the interior layout for its new A350 XWB jetliner and showed an innovative galley concept at the Aircraft Interior Expo in Hamburg, Germany.

With A400M's first flight scheduled for this year, the programme for this multi-mission transport is making steady progress. Ground system and load testing is underway on aircraft MSN001, while the powerful TP400-D6 turboprop engine is being readied for its own aerial evaluations.

The definition phase of SESAR (Single European Sky Air Traffic Management System Research) is nearing completion under the direction of an Airbus-led effort. Its objective is to develop a new air traffic management system for Europe, reducing or eliminating bottlenecks that could effect European ai...