Do we like Airbus?
Makes airliners, helicopters, defence and space systems; based in Toulouse, France, with the parent company registered in the Netherlands.
Our score: 5 out of 10. Mixed. It makes safe, efficient planes and has reformed since a record bribery case. It also sells arms, has had a big recall, and has delayed its hydrogen goals.
Airbus is Europe's big aircraft maker. Guillaume Faury has run it since April 2019 after rising through the company. It also does defence and helicopters. In 2025 it delivered 793 commercial aircraft to 91 customers.
The big stain is bribery. In January 2020 Airbus settled with UK, French and US authorities for about €3.6bn. The UK judge said bribery was 'endemic' in parts of the business. Airbus was also credited for cooperating and for reforming its compliance.
In November 2025 Airbus ordered a software fix on about 6,000 A320-family jets after a JetBlue incident. It said intense solar radiation could corrupt flight-control data. That recall was its biggest ever. Faury said the company must learn from it.
On climate, Airbus pushed its hydrogen plane back by 5 to 10 years and cut the budget by 25%. It says it's still committed and is backing sustainable aviation fuel in the meantime. Amnesty, ECCHR and others have also alleged that its arms exports to Saudi Arabia and the UAE may have contributed to war crimes in Yemen. Airbus said it follows all applicable laws.