In transoceanic competition, there is fierce competition between American Boeing and European Airbus. So when and how did this rivalry begin? Who were the founding fathers of Airbus?
When Airbus was founded on 18 December 1970, it initially brought together Airbus Industry, French Sud-Aviation, Aerospatiale, and Deutsche Airbus. For the first time after Concorde, the design and manufacture of an airplane would be done by many countries. For Roger Beteille and Henri Ziegler, the fathers of the company, there was only one goal: to create a European aircraft manufacturer that could compete with Seattle giants Boeing, McDonnell Douglas, and Lockheed Martin.
This European consortium brought together four companies: Aerospatiale matra (37.9%) DaimlerBenz Aerospace DASA (37.9%) British Aerospace (twenty percent) and Spanish CASA (4.2 percent) Body cockpit in Germany cockpit in France wings In England, the tail would be made in Spain, and the engines in France and America.
And all the pieces would be assembled in Toulouse, in the city of Aerospatiale, and also in Hamburg, the headquarters of Airbus Industry. With the first flight of the A300 B (300 because it carried three hundred passengers) on 28 October 1972, air transport entered a new era of public transport.
This two-engine aircraft has now created a new economic revolution and has managed to do with two engines which could only be done with four or three engines before that. At first, there were difficulties. After the 1973 oil crisis, four aircraft were produced each in 1974 and 1975, but no production in 1976.
Former Apollo VIII astronaut Frank Borman, as the general manager of Eastern Airlines, opened America's doors to Airbus and ordered four aircraft in 1977. By the end of 1979, 256 aircraft had been delivered. And Airbus Industries had finally taken off. It is certain that it owes this success to its president Bernard Lathiere and the next president (1985-1998) Jean Pierson. The Airbus aircraft family has gradually expanded and grown. After making the first A 310 (1978), which could be flown by only two pilots without a mechanical engineer, 1978, it produced aircraft such as the A320 (1984), A 330 and A 340 (1987), and most recently the A 340-600 (2002).
Since 1972, this consortium has sold thousands of aircraft to more than 200 companies.
Playing high-tech from the very beginning, the company managed to simplify aircraft controls with something like a video joystick first, allowing planes to be flown by two people instead of three.
After January 1, 2001, Airbus Industries became AIC and received Joint Stock Company Status. (Airbus Integrated Company). Its partners are European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company -EADS- (80 percent) and Bae Systems (20 percent). Airbus Military also started to manufacture military transport aircraft with the A400M.
February 2019
European aviation giant Airbus has announced that it will stop the production of A380 superjumbo model jets. The A380 superjumbo is still the world's largest passenger aircraft.
Airbus reports that the final deliveries of the aircraft will take place in 2021, just 12 years after the model takes off.
Why did Airbus take this decision?
Airbus made this decision after Emirates Airlines, the largest customer of the A380s reduced the number of orders. The Dubai-based airline has reduced its A380 fleet from 163 aircraft to 123.
Why has demand for the A380 decreased?
The big jet made its first commercial flight in 2007 and was loved by passengers. However, due to the different locations of production, its construction was complex and expensive.
However, the real blow to the A380 came as the aviation industry began to favor small, wide-body aircraft over large aircraft.