Airbus // Universal Registration Document 2021
1. Information on the Company’s Activities /
1.1 Presentation of the Company
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3. Continue to invest in the future in an evolving and highly competitive environment The COVID-19 pandemic has required Airbus to face the deepest crisis in the Company’s history, focusing on cash containment to ensure survival. The right combination of growth, profitability and resilience is vital to the Company’s long-term competitiveness. Aerospace remains a major backbone of the global economy and a vital service to people and businesses. Airbus is committed to playing its role in ensuring that its sectors consistently deliver on their vital role in the global economy by building resilience through having sufficient funds available to withstand the shocks; through close cooperation with stakeholders to ensure the overall travel value chain survives; through seamless coordination along the supply chain to detect issues rapidly; and through reinforcement of the balance sheet to continue investing in future competitiveness. The Company believes that the way to remain attractive to investors, employees and society at large is to be at the forefront of innovation and to be a leader in the global market. This requires discipline on both revenues and the cost base, throughout all Airbus businesses, to gain sufficient volume and profitability to continuously drive the industry forward. Having successfully increased revenue and profit in the years before the COVID-19 crisis, continuous improvement is essential to further support Airbus’ resilience and prepare for future investments. As the Company delivers on its strategy as a leader with European roots and global reach, the Company is uniquely positioned to pioneer the industry, deepen relations with its customers, expand its role in defence, space and helicopters, while delivering shareholder value in line with market expectations. 4. Lead the transformation of the aerospace industry while meeting the highest environmental, social and governance standards Aviation’s licence to grow and operate in the future is inherently linked to sustainability. Improving the environmental impact of our day-to-day lives is at the top of agendas throughout the world. While some argue for limiting mobility, the Company believes the solution should not hinder people’s ability to connect and unite across the world. Making the world a smaller and more transparent place to live makes it safer and more rewarding. The ability to discover, learn, share and remain safe are basic human needs and a guiding star for the Company. Air travel brings prosperity through the connections it makes. One in ten jobs around the world is in the travel and tourism industry, and air travel routes are the arteries of this system. Sufficient prosperity will be required to deliver the climate neutral transformation of industry that society demands. Hence, the purpose of the Company is to pioneer sustainable aerospace for a safe and united world. The Company does not, however, operate in a vacuum. Social sustainability and good governance are integral elements in managing the Company’s vision for a sustainable future. Airbus’ business is deeply connected with environmental, social, and governance (“ ESG ”) objectives through various international standards, frameworks and initiatives. Airbus is also a global leader in the defence sector. Defence is a crucial component of security, and security is the precondition for a responsible and sustainable world. In this endeavour, Airbus is committed to sustainable and responsible business practices,
1.3 Build advantages through a broad span within aerospace and defence The resilience provided by a broad portfolio of products and services is essential for Airbus today and will continue to be in the future. Most aerospace companies nurture a substantial defence and space element in their portfolio to gain synergies and increase stability. This is also true for Airbus, with commercial aircraft, helicopters, defence, space, and security activities all part of the portfolio. Hence governmental, military and commercial business, products and services, fixed wing and rotary platforms, satellites and launchers, both self- and customer-funded, are all elements which balance market variations, provide synergies, and help to smooth investment cycles. Additionally, as digital design, manufacturing & services require similar capabilities across aerospace segments, owning a broad portfolio delivers flexibility in resource allocation and the reuse of investments in core capabilities. The COVID-19 crisis demonstrated the importance of having strong and complementary helicopter, defence, space and security businesses alongside commercial aviation within the portfolio, enhancing the resilience of the overall group. 1.4 Expand as a leader towards new territories Urban air mobility (“ UAM ”) is at the forefront of a revolution to make urban mobility three dimensional in the future. Capturing growth in new vertical take-off and landing (“ VTOL ”) and UAM markets, for both platforms and services, is a major driver for the Company’s helicopter strategy. Airbus launched its NextGen eVTOL in 2021 for this purpose. Shaping air and space power which integrates aircraft, unmanned systems and space assets with a cloud structure for command and control, will revolutionise the performance of Airbus’ defence customers in future and aims to secure the Company’s long-term presence in defence markets. In commercial aviation, the quest for climate neutral solutions will play out globally and will drive demand for our products and services. Over the past 50 years, Airbus has grown from being a cooperation of national aerospace companies, in four European countries, to a global leader in commercial aerospace with a strong foothold in helicopters, defence, space and security. The ambition of European industrialists to work together towards a common goal of creating one leading player in commercial aerospace was decisive to the success story of the Company. Then, as today, that European vision saw the UK as being integral to its global success. No aerospace and defence company is more culturally and humanly diverse than Airbus. Approximately 140 nationalities make up the Company’s workforce and over 20 languages are spoken at Airbus, reflecting the diversity of its employees and customer base. This is a key strength of the Company in addressing global markets. Airbus has built on its strong European heritage to become truly international, operating across more than 180 locations. The Company has invested in and grown aircraft and helicopter final assembly lines across Asia, Europe and the Americas. 2. Leverage its roots to pursue global reach through local actions
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Airbus / Registration Document 2021
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