Aviation fans were disappointed. The parade planned Wednesday, May 29 in the sky Toulouse to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Airbus was canceled due to too cloudy weather.

A disappointment for the thousands of employees who had massed in "fan zones" arranged for the occasion, in order to salute the passage of the aerial training, before festivities planned internally.

Airbus produces half of the major commercial aircraft

Commemorating the signing on 29 May 1969 at the Paris Air Show of a Franco-German cooperation agreement paving the way for the A300B program, the parade was to launch an anniversary sequence for the group.

Born from the decision half a century ago from France and Germany to launch this program, Airbus forms with its American rival Boeing a duopoly that reigns unchallenged over the world's civil aviation.

"Today, Airbus produces half of the major commercial aircraft in the world and continues to flourish in the helicopter, defense and space sectors," said Guillaume Faury, the new boss of the aerospace giant. "We employ 130,000 highly skilled people worldwide and we are a powerful driver of productivity, exports and innovation for Europe."

The giant of the air, from the meeting of European aircraft manufacturers, delivered its first aircraft, an A300B2, to Air France in 1974. A few days ago, it passed the 12,000 deliveries.

An Airbus takes off or lands in the world every 2 seconds

While it took nearly 20 years to deliver its thousandth device, the last thousand will have been given to their customers in just 30 months. Today, an Airbus takes off or lands in the world every 2 seconds, and the order book represents a little less than ten years of production.

This success was built on technological innovations such as electric flight controls, the protection of the flight range and the cockpit with two pilots, despite the resistance aroused at the time.

The European aircraft manufacturer has quickly understood that to win, he had to break into the United States. Two ingredients will suffice: an airplane, the A300, and a company, Eastern Air Lines, whose boss Frank Borman perceives the interest of flying with more economically viable aircraft.

A European industrial adventure

Two programs and a few years later, Airbus launched the A320, still today its backbone. Designed for the Boeing 737 medium-haul aircraft, the A320, which ran its test flight in February 1987, sold more than 15,000 units worldwide.

The 50 years of Airbus have represented a European industrial adventure, despite the rivalries between French and Germans that his former boss, Tom Enders, himself German, has tried to erase.

And despite some failures, it has become an example that Europeans are trying to transpose into other sectors.

The failed attempt to merge with the British BAE Systems in 2012 paradoxically allowed Airbus to shed the influence of the States. The European aircraft manufacturer also managed to buy in 2018 the CSeries program of Quebec Bombardier, which strengthens its global stature.

Today at the helm, Guillaume Faury recalled that "the aeronautics industry is on the eve of an unprecedented technological revolution", citing the digital, autonomous flight, artificial intelligence and electrification of aircraft. "European aerospace should aspire to lead this next revolution in terms of innovation and the transition to a more sustainable aviation sector."

With AFP and Reuters