Roger Béteille

Roger Béteille, born in Vors (Aveyron) on August 28, 1921, was a French aeronautical engineer and businessman. After graduating from the École Polytechnique, he studied at École Sup’Aéro and at the Centre des Hautes Études d’Armement. In 1945 he acquired his pilot’s licence and in 1952 he joined SNCASE as Head of Flight Testing (1952–1957).

In 1957 he was appointed Head of the Rockets and Satellites division of Sud Aviation in Cannes, a role he would occupy for ten years. 

His experience in commercial aviation was honed through senior roles in the Armagnac and Caravelle programmes. He would go on to lead the Galion project, which preceded what would become the Airbus A300. He was one of the key players in the formation of the Airbus consortium and was appointed deputy technical director and A300 programme manager.  A large part of the initial success of Airbus can be traced back to Béteille thanks to his pragmatic decision-making.

Beteille’s name became synonymous with the A300, he was nicknamed Mister Airbus. His contributions include the “Airbus fuselage” – the 222in fuselage cross section with the ability to carry two LD-3 freight containers – and the basic work-share agreement of the various partners in Airbus. In 1983, he became a founding member of the French Académie de l’air et de l’espace (AAE).

He served as the company’s Chief Operating Officer until his retirement in March 1984. He died on June 14, 2019, at the age of 97.