Airbus and the Netherlands strengthen aerospace partnership during Dutch royal visit to Toulouse

Toulouse, France, 1 October 2025 – Airbus welcomed Their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands to its headquarters in Toulouse today. The visit underscores the deep and long-standing partnership between Airbus and the Dutch aerospace industry and paves the way for future collaboration with the signing of several key agreements in the fields of industrial cooperation, innovation, sustainability, and education.

"We are immensely proud to welcome Their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima to Toulouse. The Netherlands is a key partner, and the agreements signed today mark a new chapter in our bilateral aerospace relationship. By combining our strengths, we will deepen our collaboration in innovation, reinforce our industrial cooperation in helicopters and defence, accelerate the transition towards decarbonised flight, and develop the highly skilled workforce needed to shape a technologically advanced future for aviation," said Wouter van Wersch, Executive Vice President International at Airbus.

The royal couple toured the A350 Final Assembly Line and viewed a static display of the H225M helicopter, 12 of which were acquired by the Dutch Ministry of Defence for its Special Operations Forces in November 2024. Their Majesties also met with students at the Airbus Lycée, highlighting the shared commitment to nurturing the next generation of aerospace talent. They were joined by a Dutch delegation, led by Minister for Foreign Trade Aukje de Vries and Dutch Ambassador Jan Versteeg, and a French welcoming committee that included Minister Delegate Laurent Saint-Martin, French Ambassador François Alabrune, and Occitanie Vice President Jalil Benabdillah.

Strengthening the industrial ties, a series of new agreements were signed in the presence of the royal couple. 

Building on the Industrial Participation Agreement established last year, Airbus Helicopters has formalised its cooperation with key Dutch industrial partners through the signing of four new commercial agreements. These partnerships span the entire value chain: a contract with NLR will innovate the H225M’s preventive maintenance strategy; an MoU with Fokker Services Group will establish in-country base maintenance; an MoU with GKN Fokker will advance the development of critical systems like wiring and ballistic protection; and a Letter of Intent with Airborne aims to optimise the production of composite rotor components through automation.

Airbus is strengthening its innovation footprint through its Tech Hub in the Netherlands, which is launching four agreements focused on disruptive technologies and academic collaboration. These include the Quantum TechBridge programme to pioneer quantum applications for aerospace and a postdoctoral research project with TU Delft using quantum simulation to develop next-generation composites. The partnership with TU Delft is further deepened by exploring the establishment of a dedicated Airbus Chair for advanced manufacturing and materials. Airbus and KLM are extending their collaboration on the 'Cabin of the Future' to integrate sustainable thermoplastic materials and leverage big data for operational efficiency.

KLM, Airbus, and TLD SAS have launched a collaboration for the certification of an electric Taxibot for KLM's Airbus A320neo fleet. This ground taxiing solution is expected to lead to a substantial reduction in CO2 emissions at airports.

French and Dutch vocational colleges for aerospace technology have partnered to address the sector's skilled worker shortage. The agreement will improve training and enhance career pathways for students with industry leaders like Airbus and KLM.

#H225M #A350 #AirbusTechHub