Airbus' Russian engineering centre emerges as a model for success

Recent contributions of Airbus' Russian engineering centre to new aircraft development underscore how the company's internationalisation strategy continues to pay dividends.

Inaugurated in 2002, the Moscow centre employs 190 engineers and 20 administrative staff on several work packages across Airbus product lines‚ including its single-aisle‚ long-range and A380 programmes. In addition, the facility began work this year on the A350 XWB's rear fuselage.

Airbus' Russian engineering centre also has delivered specific designs for several sections of the A330-200F freighter‚ the first of which is now in final assembly in Toulouse, France.

Equipped with state-of-the-art communication equipment and linked in real time with Airbus engineering sites in France and Germany, the Moscow centre performs extensive work in disciplines such as fuselage structure, stress, systems installation and design. It was the first Airbus engineering facility to open in Europe outside the company's home countries, and a joint venture with the Kaskol Group.

Russia remains a key location in Airbus' expanding global footprint and is a promising resource for highly-skilled engineers. It is also a market of interest for the company, as current trends indicate the demand for new aircraft will increase in the region over the next two decades.