Key takeaways
- Airbus is one of the two big manufacturers of commercial aircraft, founded in 1970 as Airbus Industrie.
- Current families: A220, A320 family, A330 and A350 – the A380 is no longer built.
- Final assembly takes place in Toulouse and Hamburg-Finkenwerder, among other sites.
- You can find the individual types in the aircraft types.
Contents
Profile
| Legal form | European public limited company (Airbus SE) |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Leiden (Netherlands), operational headquarters in Blagnac near Toulouse (France) |
| Divisions | Commercial aircraft, helicopters (Airbus Helicopters), defense and space (Airbus Defence and Space) |
| Current commercial aircraft families | A220, A320 family, A330, A350 |
| Discontinued types | A300, A310, A340, A380 |
| Final assembly of commercial aircraft | Toulouse, Hamburg-Finkenwerder, Tianjin (China), Mobile (USA), Mirabel (Canada, A220) |
| Official website | www.airbus.com |
Business areas
Structure & brands
History at a glance
Airbus from a spotter’s point of view
Your checklist for Airbus
- Recognized an A350 by the black mask around its cockpit windows
- Told an A320neo from the classic A320 by its noticeably larger engines
- Kept the A330 (two engines) and the A340 (four engines) apart
- Seen an A380 with its two full-length passenger decks
- Photographed a Beluga transporter, which flies components between the plants
Strengths and weaknesses
What speaks for it
- From regional aircraft to widebody jets – present at almost every airport
- Final assembly in Hamburg-Finkenwerder and Toulouse with factory flight traffic
- Beluga transporters as an unusual photo subject
Where it falls short
- Within the A320 family, the variants are hard to tell apart at first glance
- New aircraft before delivery are often only visible briefly and irregularly
From joint venture to Airbus SE
Airbus began in 1970 as Airbus Industrie, a joint venture of European aerospace companies. The first type, the twinjet widebody A300, made its first flight in 1972. Today, Airbus is a European public limited company headquartered in Leiden, with its operational headquarters in Blagnac near Toulouse.
The aircraft families
- A220 – the smallest Airbus commercial aircraft, originally developed by Bombardier as the C Series.
- A320 family – narrowbody aircraft for short and medium haul, including the neo variants with new engines.
- A330 – twinjet widebody.
- A350 – latest-generation widebody, easy to recognize by the black mask around the cockpit windows.
The A300, A310, A340 and the double-deck A380 are out of production; the A380 is still in service with several airlines.
Tips for spotters
Around the final assembly sites in Toulouse and Hamburg-Finkenwerder, you see aircraft that have not been delivered yet – often in primer or already in the livery of their future airline. Then there are the Beluga transporters, which Airbus uses to fly large components between the plants. Note the registration of every sighting; on new aircraft, it can still change before delivery.
Summary
- With the A220, A320 family, A330 and A350, Airbus builds commercial aircraft for almost every route length.
- The A380 has no longer been delivered since 2021, but is still seen in scheduled service.
- Around the plants in Toulouse and Hamburg-Finkenwerder, it pays to watch for factory and Beluga flights.
Frequently asked questions
Where are Airbus commercial aircraft assembled?
In Toulouse, Hamburg-Finkenwerder, Tianjin (China) and Mobile (USA); the A220 is also assembled in Mirabel (Canada).
Is the A380 still being built?
No. Production has ended, and the last aircraft was delivered in 2021.
Where does the A220 come from?
The A220 was developed by Bombardier as the C Series. Airbus took a majority stake in the program in 2018 and has marketed the aircraft as the A220 since then.
Collect sightings around Airbus
Post photos with registration, type, airline and spot, collect your finds in your hangar and get likes and comments from the community. Planetrack is launching soon – join the waitlist and get early access.
More entries
Airbus Helicopters
The world’s largest helicopter manufacturer has German-French roots: headquarters in Marignane, a second base in Donauwörth. That is where the H135 and H145 come from – the helicopters you see most often in Germany as air rescue, police and Bundeswehr aircraft.
ManufacturerATR
The French-Italian manufacturer ATR has built just two aircraft since the 1980s – the ATR 42 and the ATR 72. High wing, T-tail, propellers: once you understand the family, you recognize it everywhere, from Lanzarote to the Greek islands.
ManufacturerDassault Aviation
Dassault Aviation builds fighter jets and the Falcon family of business jets in France. For spotters, that means Rafales at air shows and military airfields, Falcons at every larger airport with business travel – and a few features at the tail let you tell the models apart with confidence.
ManufacturerLiebherr Aerospace
You know the name from construction cranes, but Liebherr also builds aircraft systems: landing gear, flight control actuators and gearboxes from the Allgäu, air and climate systems from Toulouse. From the A350’s nose gear to the folding wingtips of the 777X, the family-owned group is inside many types you photograph at the fence.