Eligibility requirements for this new certification process include: 1  Written exam. 2  Formal education. 3  Design firm experience. 4  Adherence to a code of ethics.
Airbus began as a consortium (a group) of aircraft makers called Airbus Industrie. Later, in 2001, it became a joint-stock company. It was owned by EADS (80%) and BAE Systems (20%). BAE sold its part of the company to EADS on 13 October 2006, so EADS now completely owns the company.
European plane manufacturer Airbus has confirmed plans for a $600m (Â£482m) factory in Alabama, marking its first assembly plant in the US. The plan will put it into direct competition with rival Boeing, which dominates commercial plane manufacturing in the US. The factory, which will create 1,000 jobs, will manufacture the A320 series of planes. The plant, set to open in 2015, aims to build up to 50 planes a year by 2018. The time is right for Airbus to expand in America, said Fabrice Bregier, Airbus president and chief executive officer.