The Leaders visit Airbus, an aeronautical giant and symbol of technological leadership
With a global presence and production centers around the world, including India, the company is an undisputed reference in the aerospace industry | VIII edition activity summary
Airbus is currently one of the world leaders in commercial aviation, defense, space, and helicopters. It was founded in 1970 as an ambitious European cooperation project to compete in the aviation market. Companies from France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Spain participated. Since then, the company has grown to become the world's largest manufacturer of commercial aircraft, with a strong commitment to sustainability.
To learn more about the company, its activities in India, and its projects related to innovation and sustainability, the Leaders visited Airbus headquarters in Madrid. They were welcomed by a group of company officials, including María Ángeles Martí Martínez, head of tanker, transport, and mission aircraft programs; María García Rodríguez, vice president of the C295 India program; Cristina García Aliste, representative of Public Affairs; Candelas Segovia Rodríguez, manager of International Government Affairs in Spain; Hania Angelina Fernández, head of Transversal Laboratories and Prototyping; and Javier Juez Santamaría, technical leader of protospace.
Spain has played a fundamental role in the history and development of Airbus. It currently has more than 14,000 employees in the country, spread across twelve locations in Madrid, Catalonia, Castilla-La Mancha, and Andalusia. These include strategic facilities, such as the Getafe plant (Madrid), where critical components are assembled and defense and space programs are led.
But Spain not only manufactures essential parts for commercial aircraft, but also produces military aircraft such as the A400M and actively participates in European programs such as the Eurofighter, the Eurodrone, and the Future Air Combat System (FCAS).
As Airbus representatives explained to the Leaders, more than two-thirds of the company's sales are in non-European markets. Among these markets is India, where Airbus has significantly increased its presence over the past 17 years. It currently employs more than 3,600 people in the country, spread across production, training, and innovation centers in Delhi, Agra, Vadodara, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru.
Airbus is also a leading manufacturer for the country's airlines, such as Air India, whose total order book in recent years amounts to 344 units.
After the corporate presentation, the Leaders visited some of Airbus's state-of-the-art facilities in Spain, such as the MRTT Conversion Centre. This is a specialized facility where the Airbus A330-200 commercial aircraft is converted into the A330 MRTT (Multi Role Tanker Transport), a military air refueling and strategic transport aircraft.
The Leaders also learned about ProtoSpace, Airbus' network of innovation and prototyping labs dedicated to transforming disruptive ideas into tangible solutions in an agile and collaborative manner. ProtoSpace allows Airbus employees to experiment with new technologies such as 3D printing and virtual reality. The company has six ProtoSpace labs: five in Europe—one in Getafe—and another in Bangalore, India. The latter is digitally focused and aims to support engineering in quickly and efficiently developing new software solutions that help reduce risks and improve Airbus products and services.
