Airbus marks 50 years of operations in Africa next year, with its presence on the continent dating back to 1976. That year, the first A300 was delivered, initiating Airbus’s involvement in the region.
Currently, nearly 40 airlines operate more than 140 Airbus aircraft across Africa. Ethiopian Airlines, the largest fleet operator on the continent, runs over 145 modern aircraft, including Boeing 787 Dreamliners, Boeing 777s, and Airbus A350s. The airline, which began operations in 1947 with five C-47 aircraft, has grown significantly and recently ordered more than 100 additional modern aircraft to expand its global network under its Vision 2035 plan.
Airbus’s broader milestones include its 50th anniversary in 2019, celebrated with a formation flight featuring in-production models such as the A220, A320neo, A330neo, A350, A380, and BelugaXL. In Southern Africa, Airbus has operated for 30 years, with the H125 helicopter logging over 50 million flight hours worldwide.