The European commercial aircraft manufacturer Airbus (headquartered in Toulouse, France) today announced the establishment of its subsidiary, Airbus Japan K.K., as of May 11. With the establishment of its new subsidiary, Airbus will intensify full-scale marketing and sales activities in the Japanese market. The office of Airbus Japan is located at Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo - Japan's business and finance center.
Noël Forgeard, Chief Executive Officer of Airbus, and other senior executives visited Tokyo to inform airline companies, aircraft manufacturers, and governmental organisations of the formation of Airbus Japan K.K., demonstrating the European manufacturer's commitment to the Japanese market.
Forgeard said, "We have consistently won about half of the new order intake worldwide for the past five years and have become the joint number one commercial aircraft manufacturer in the market for airliners with more than 100 seats. We have increased our market share in North America and China by establishing local subsidiaries with well-organized sales and customer support task forces. In order to increase our market share in Japan and to build closer ties with Japanese industry, we have established Airbus Japan K.K.," he added.
Patrick Carroll, formerly Representative Director of BAE Systems (International) Limited in Japan, was appointed President of Airbus Japan K.K. as of April 1. With Patrick Carroll - an 18-year resident of Japan - at its helm, Airbus Japan will begin full-scale business operation from June, with an initial team of nine people to increase to 15 by the end of the year.
Carroll said, "In Japan, both Japan Air System and All Nippon Airways operate Airbus aircraft, and we have had long and prosperous business relationships with Japanese industry. However, there is still more business potential for us in the market. Japanese airlines will need some 600 aircraft over the next 20 years, to cope with an average annual traffic growth rate of 5%. We aim to win half of this market," he added.
With well over 4,200 orders booked to date from some 180 customers worldwide, Airbus is one of only two manufacturers in the market of commercial aircraft seating more than 100 passengers. Offering the most modern and comprehensive airliner family in the world, Airbus consistently captures about half of this market - a position it is well-equipped to maintain in the future. Headquartered in Toulouse (France), Airbus is jointly owned by EADS (80 per cent) and BAE Systems (20 per cent).
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Airbus Japan Established For Full-Scale Business Activities In Japan
