How Airbus Took Off
14 days ago
- #aerospace
- #industrial-policy
- #competition
- Airbus is a rare European industrial success story, outperforming its American rival Boeing.
- Airbus's success is attributed to customer focus, strong leadership, and avoiding European chauvinism in design and language.
- The A300B and A320 models were pivotal, with innovations like fuel efficiency, twin-engine design, and digital fly-by-wire controls.
- Airbus's early struggles included overcoming skepticism and leveraging state support to break into the US market.
- Unlike failed European projects like Concorde or Quaero, Airbus combined technical excellence with market pragmatism.
- Boeing's decline is linked to a shift from engineering excellence to cost-cutting and mismanagement post-McDonnell Douglas merger.
- The airline industry's poor profitability and constant price pressures make aerospace a challenging sector for private enterprise without state support.
- Airbus's success is hard to replicate due to unique industry dynamics, disciplined execution, and Boeing's self-sabotage.