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Airbus S.A.S.

 
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Airbus S.A.S.
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European aircraft manufacturer that is the world's second largest maker of commercial aircraft (after Boeing Co.). It is co-owned by the German-French-Spanish European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS), with an 80% interest, and Britain's BAE Systems, with 20%. Airbus was formed as a consortium in 1970 by French and German aerospace firms (later joined by Spanish and British companies) to fill a market niche for short- to medium-range, high-capacity jetliners and to compete with long-established American manufacturers. Its first product, the A300, entered service in 1974. It was the first wide-body jetliner equipped with only two engines for more economical operation. The twin-engine A320 (entered service 1988) incorporated numerous technical innovations, notably fly-by-wire (electric rather than mechanically linked), computer-based flight controls. The four-engine A340 (1993) and smaller, twin-engine A330 (1994) were long-range airliners. In 2007 Airbus launched the A380, the world's largest airliner, with a standard seating of 555 people and a maximum capacity of 853.

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Hoover's Profile: Airbus S.A.S.
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Contact Information
Airbus S.A.S.
1, Rond Point Maurice Bellonte
31707 Blagnac Cedex, France
Tel. +33-5-61-93-33-33

Type: Subsidiary
On the web: http://www.airbus.com
 Employees: 52,000
Employee growth: (7.1%)

Airbus really knows how to pack 'em in. Passengers, that is. The commercial aircraft manufacturer makes the jumbo 525-seat A380, the largest civil airliner in service. It also makes more than a dozen other aircraft models, ranging from single-aisle (A318, A319, A320, A321) to wide-body (A300, A310, A330, A340), with capacities ranging from about 100 to 400 passengers. Airbus vies with Boeing to be the world's #1 commercial jet maker. Its midsized A350 XWB model -- due for delivery in 2013 -- is expected to compete against Boeing's upcoming 787 Dreamliner. The company is also expanding into the military transport aircraft sector with airlifters and aerial tankers. Airbus is owned by EADS.

Key numbers for fiscal year ending December, 2008:
Sales: $38,695.0M
One year growth: 4.3%

Officers:
President and CEO: Thomas (Tom) Enders
COO: Fabrice Brégier
CFO: Harald Wilhelm

Competitors:
Boeing
Bombardier
Embraer

 
 

 

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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Hoover's Profile. ©2008 Hoover's, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more