Some call Airbus a primarily French company. And there is some truth to that – after all, the manufacturer’s main airport and assembly site are located in Toulouse, France (TLS). TLS is also home to the departure destination of many Airbus’ test flights, including the first one it ever has done, when the Airbus A300 took off on its maiden voyage into the skies in 1972.
At the same time, Airbus is a multi-national company in every sense of the word, as Europe is not the only continent where aircraft, named using the A3XX formula, are assembled and shipped off to customers. Plants in Mirabel, Quebec, Canada, Mobile, Alabama, United States and Tianjin, China are all the second home of Airbus.
However, what does each individual plant do and manufacture?
Airbus A300 and A310
The first Airbus aircraft that started it all, the A300 and its little brother, the A310, were assembled in Toulouse, France.
Different components had to be shipped or brought in using lorries, taking up too much time for the company to complete an aircraft. A solution was found to bring aircraft parts using another aircraft – a Boeing 377 Stratocruiser-based Aero Spacelines Super Guppy. From that point forward, Airbus brought in parts using three channels – air, road and water.
Read more: Where are Airbus commercial aircraft manufactured?