Airbus Group and Safran to team up: “A milestone for the European launcher industry”

June 16, 2014

Airbus Group and Safran, the two largest industry shareholders in Arianespace, announced this morning that they are creating an equally-owned joint venture for launch vehicles.

French President François Hollande invited all stakeholders in the Ariane system to the Elysée Palace for a meeting to mark this occasion.

Following the meeting, Arianespace Chairman and CEO Stéphane Israël said: "This is a major milestone for the European launcher industry. The initiative by Airbus Group and Safran, our two largest industry shareholders, aims to increase the competitiveness of the Ariane system and enhance its responsiveness in today's competitive environment, by simplifying our organization. Arianespace, on behalf of all our shareholders and reflecting our mission of guaranteeing independent access to space for Europe, is very pleased with this initiative, which will benefit all of our commercial and governmental customers. Today's announcement comes several months before the next ESA ministerial-level conference, in Luxembourg, which will prove decisive for the future of European launchers. Arianespace will draw on the excellence of our engineers and other employees in Evry and French Guiana to play a proactive role during this pivotal phase and maintain our long-standing leadership."