Airbus leads the world in development of modern commercial aircraft

Airbus leads the world in development of modern commercial aircraft Airbus Industrie, the aircraft manufacturer, is a multinational European consortium and the world leader in commercial aircraft development. Airbus holds 61 percent of all orders in the world today for aircraft with more than 100 seats. For the A330 and A340 aircraft models ordered by SAS, Airbus now has 551 orders from 56 customers. Airbus Industrie was established in 1967, when France, Germany and Great Britain joined forces in a development program focused on the A300 aircraft. In 1998, sales amounted to USD 13.3 billion, or SEK 110 billion. Airbus Industrie's order backlog in 1998 was valued at USD 39 billion, or slightly more than SEK 320 billion. Since 1970, when the first aircraft was developed, until September 1999, Airbus has received confirmed orders for 3,479 aircraft, of which 2,080 have been delivered. Airbus aircraft are flown by 173 airlines in all parts of the world today. The consortium comprising Airbus Industrie consists of Aerospatiale Matra (37.9%), DaimlerChrysler Aerospace Airbus GmbH (37.9%), British Aerospace (20%) and CASA of Spain (4.2%). Airbus Industrie has about 37,000 employees. The head office is situated in Toulouse, at Blagnac Airport, where final assembly operations are also conducted on most aircraft. The A319 and A321 aircraft models are assembled in Hamburg. Parts and system components for Airbus aircraft are produced in all parts of the world, in Australia, Canada, China, India and the U.S., and transported by Airbus to assembly plants in Europe. Airbus has implemented "just-in-time" deliveries for many years, with parts and components flown into its production plants just prior to final assembly. Aircraft manufactured by Airbus have a unique advantage called "commonality," or conformity within a product family. Every aircraft model, accordingly, is basically the same as other models in the same product family, which makes it easier for crews to switch back and forth between different models. Maintenance is also simplified, providing greater efficiency and lower costs for airlines. In this respect, Airbus has been a pioneer in the aviation industry. Environmental awareness has a prominent place within Airbus Industrie. The company's aircraft rank among the most fuel-efficient modes of transport in the world. New materials are used in the planes - carbon fiber, for instance, which requires much less energy to produce and reduces the weight of aircraft by as much as 25 percent, compared with traditional materials. The result is lower fuel consumption and reduced emissions, as well as lower noise levels. Photographs of the aircraft are available at: http://www.scandinavian.net/company/newsfacts/picture/archive.asp SAS CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by Waymaker http://www.waymaker.net The following files are available for download: http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2003/07/31/20030731BIT00660/wkr0001.doc http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2003/07/31/20030731BIT00660/wkr0002.pdf