空中巴士工业公司(Airbus Industrie)
欧洲飞机制造企业集团，是世界第二大商用飞机制造商（仅次於波音公司〔Boeing Co.〕）。集团成员包括德国-法国-西班牙共同拥有的欧洲航空国防暨太空公司（EADS），占80%股份，还有英国的英国航太系统公司（BAE Systems），占20%。比利时的比利时空中巴士（Belairbus）和义大利的爱乐尼亚（Alenia）公司都是在某些选择专案上分担风险的合作成员。1970年由法国和德国的航太企业（後来西班牙与英国也加入）组成空中巴士公司，目的是填补短程和中程大容量喷射客机这个市场空隙，并与久已知名的美国制造商竞争。1974年它的第一个产品A300开始服务，这是第一种只有两台引擎的广体喷射客机，运行成本很经济。双引擎的A320（1988年开始服务）又加进了许多技术发明，着名的有「线传飞控」（用电力而非机械链结），用电脑控制飞行。四引擎的A340（1993）和较小的双引擎A330（1994）都是长程飞行的机型。2000年空中巴士开始研制A380，意图成为具有五百五十五个旅客座位的世界最大型客运飞机。
English version：
Airbus Industrie
European aircraft-making consortium that is the world's second largest maker of commercial aircraft (after Boeing Co.). Full members include the German-French-Spanish-owned European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS), with an 80-percent interest, and Britain's BAE Systems, with 20 percent. Belgium's Belairbus and Italy's Alenia are risk-sharing associate members in selected programs. Airbus was formed in 1970 by French and German aerospace firms (later joined by Spanish and British companies) to fill a market niche for short- to medium-range, high-capacity jetliners and compete with long-established American manufacturers. Its first product, the A300, entered service in 1974. It was the first wide-body jetliner equipped with only two engines for more economical operation. The twin-engine A320 (entered service 1988) incorporated numerous technical innovations, notably fly-by-wire (electric rather than mechanically linked), computer-based flight controls. The four-engine A340 (1993) and smaller, twin-engine A330 (1994) were long-range airliners. In 2000 Airbus launched development of the A380, intended to be the world's largest airliner with a typical seating of 555 passengers.
