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Roger Béteille shaped Airbus from the beginning as its founder, guiding the company's technical development from 1967 to 1985.
His vision centered on European collaboration.
Leading Béteille to invent Airbus' distinctive production model—where different countries build specific aircraft sections, then joining them for final assembly.
This system continues today.
Before his retirement in 1985, Béteille transformed his concept of European aerospace cooperation into reality.
Setting Airbus up for a prosperous future.
Jean Pierson transformed Airbus from a European upstart into Boeing's direct competitor during the 1980s.
Gone were the days that Boeing had a monopoly on commercial airplane manufacturing.
As CEO, he launched the A320 and A330/A340 aircraft families.
These models captured market share from American manufacturers.
His focus on cross-border collaboration strengthened Airbus' unique European identity and helped to expand its global reach.
Pierson's focus on product development and market expansion made Airbus a company that couldn’t be ignored.
Noël Forgeard led EADS, Airbus' parent company, from 2000 to 2005, overseeing the important A380 project launch.
The hope was that the A380 would give Airbus a level playing field against Boeing's popular models.
However, the A380 program ultimately sparked Forgeard's downfall.
In 2006, severe production delays emerged, causing EADS stock to plummet.
These setbacks forced Forgeard out of the company.
Gustav Humbert took over Airbus during the disastrous launch of the ambitious A380 program, having to deal with significant production delays in 2006.
Crisis and controversy plaguing the young company.
Humbert was unable to handle the fallout from the A380 issues, leading to a freefall of EADS shares and his subsequent resignation.
Christian Streiff became Airbus CEO in mid-2006, following the departures of Gustav Humbert and EADS chief Noël Forgeard during the A380 production crisis.
His appointment surprised industry observers.
Streiff had no choice but to launch aggressive restructuring plans, sparking resistance from government stakeholders.
After three months, he was done for.
There was insufficient authority to implement needed changes and limited board backing.
Could a leader step up to fix this sinking ship?
Louis Gallois led Airbus from 2006 to 2012, bringing much needed stability.
His tenure marked several key achievements: the first A380 deliveries entered service, the A320 maintained strong sales, and development began on the innovative A350 XWB.
Gallois successfully strengthened Airbus's position in commercial aviation and saving the company from doom.
Tom Enders took over as Airbus CEO in 2012, succeeding Louis Gallois.
Under his leadership, Airbus expanded production, delivered record numbers of aircraft, and acquired the Bombardier's CSeries program.
Enders restructured and rebranded the company—first as Airbus Group, then as Airbus SE—consolidating the company into one unified and competitive enterprise.
His term was not without controversy.
Corruption investigations near the end of his eight-year tenure hung over his head.
However, by the time Enders stepped down in 2020, he left behind a company that rivaled Boeing in both scale and influence.
Guillaume Faury stepped into Airbus's CEO role in 2019, inheriting a company that matched Boeing in commercial aircraft manufacturing.
Under Faury's leadership, Airbus weathered the sharp downturn in air travel during COVID-19 and dealt with the costly closure of A380 production.
His tenure marks several concrete achievements: Airbus now secures more yearly aircraft orders than Boeing, and the company successfully integrated Bombardier's A220 aircraft program.
As Airbus's third CEO since its 2000 restructuring, Faury steers has put in place clear goals toward sustainable aviation technology and continued market growth.
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