Airbus’ establishment as a consortium in December 1970 - the first step towards integration of Europe’s civil aviation industry - was implemented to provide the global market place with a single interface for the purchase of Airbus aircraft. Since then, Airbus has steadily gained market share, and is now one of only two manufacturers in the market for commercial airliners seating more than 100 passengers. With an annual turnover of EURO19.4 billion in 2002, and the most modern and comprehensive airliner family in the world, Airbus now consistently captures about half of all commercial airliner orders - a position it is committed to maintaining in the future as a fully integrated company.

　 　 Headquartered in Toulouse, France, Airbus is owned by two leading European aerospace companies: the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) - born of the merger between three of Airbus’ former “partner” companies in the consortium, Aerospatiale-Matra of France, Daimler Chrysler Aerospace of Germany and CASA of Spain - and BAE SYSTEMS of the United Kingdom. In addition to marketing, customer support, management and co-ordination of industrial and engineering, Airbus has also become fully and directly responsible for all design, engineering, manufacturing and production functions, employing some 48,500 people at various locations around Europe. Full integration enables Airbus to obtain even greater efficiency through the concentration of purchasing power, the elimination of duplication, enhanced reactivity, and direct control over costs. This will further consolidate Airbus’ position as market leader, and better equips the manufacturer to face the challenges of the new century, delivering customer satisfaction and shareholder value.

　 　 Airbus’s partnership with the People’s Republic of China dates back to 1985, when CAAC of Shanghai, now China Eastern Airlines, became the first carrier in the country to introduce the European consortium’s aircraft. Contracts for Chinese companies to build sections of Airbus aircraft followed, as did further orders from Chinese airline.

　 　 Airbus China Limited has had an office in Beijing since 1990, and currently has a staff of about 130 Chinese local and expatriates in China. Customer service offices providing on-the-spot airline support include Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Jinan, Lanzhou, Nanchang, Nanjing, Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Shenzhen, Shenyang, Dalian and Xi’an, also Hong Kong. Today, a US$80 million plus training and support centre, which is the most modern and first dedicated in China, is fully operational in Beijing near the Beijing Capital Airport. Please visit our web sites to find further and detailed 　 　 information at:

http://www.airbus.com and http://www.airbus.com.cn