Airbus

Airbus began in 1970 as a European consortium formed to challenge the American dominance of commercial aviation. Its first aircraft, the twin-aisle A300, entered service in 1974 as the world’s first twin-engine widebody.

The A320 arrived in 1988 with fly-by-wire controls and a side-stick, setting the template for modern single-aisles. The four-engine A340 and long-range A330 followed in the 1990s, the double-deck A380 entered service in 2007, and the composite A350 arrived in 2015. The company reorganised from a consortium into a single integrated business, Airbus SE, with operational headquarters in Toulouse.

Recent development centres on the re-engined neo families, the A220 inherited from Bombardier, and the extra-long-range A321XLR. In 2025 the A320 family became the most-delivered airliner in history, and Airbus posted record revenue while managing engine-supply shortages that hold back its production ramp.

Airbus runs three divisions: Commercial Aircraft, Helicopters, and Defence and Space. Its commercial line spans the A220, the A320neo family, the A330neo and the A350, supported by a record backlog of 8,754 aircraft that underpins years of future deliveries.

Airbus’s in-production commercial range covers one small single-aisle, the best-selling A320neo family, and two widebody lines. The table sets out engines, typical two-class seating, cruise speed and range for each current model.

The A320 family drives the business, with 607 of the 793 deliveries in 2025. Engine shortages from Pratt & Whitney and CFM remain the main brake on output. The A220 line is targeting 13 aircraft a month by 2028, and the A350F freighter is working toward service entry around 2027.

Airbus assembles aircraft on several continents. Final assembly runs through:

Wings come from Broughton in the UK, with major structures built in Spain and elsewhere in France.

The company runs more than 180 sites and employs around 165,000 people. Its Mobile line lets Airbus build and hand over jets inside the United States, which helps it deliver to American carriers without import tariffs.

Airbus delivered 793 commercial aircraft to 91 customers in 2025, up 4% on the year, comprising 93 A220s, 607 A320 Family jets, 36 A330s and 57 A350s. It booked 1,000 gross orders and 889 net orders after cancellations, and closed the year with a record backlog of 8,754 aircraft worth around €619 billion. During the year the A320 family became the most-delivered airliner in history.

Airbus remained the world’s largest planemaker in 2025, delivering far more aircraft than Boeing, though its rival edged ahead on net orders.

Airbus aircraft fly with carriers on every continent.