We have expanded the list of climate policies we assess company engagement with to incorporate land-use related policy, referring to legislative or regulatory measures to enhance and protect ecosystems and land where carbon is being stored. Assessments under this category are currently underweighted in terms of their contribution to the overall company metrics. This weighting will be progressively increased over the next 6 months.
We adjusted the terminology used to describe the queries running down the left-hand side of our scoring matrix and added additional explanatory text to the info-boxes. This has no impact on the scores and methodology. It has been done following user feedback to improve clarity.
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
Three Airbus subsidiaries, Airbus Helicopters, Airbus Corporate Jets and A3 by Airbus, are members of GAMA. Jeff Trang, Vice President of Engineering & Flight Operations, Airbus Helicopters is on the Technical Policy Committee (as of December 2022)
Jeff Trang
--no extract--
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
Three Airbus subsidiaries, Airbus Helicopters, Airbus Corporate Jets and A3 by Airbus, are members of GAMA. Jeff Trang, Vice President of Engineering & Flight Operations, Airbus Helicopters is on the Technical Policy Committee (as of December 2022)
Jeff Trang
--no extract--
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
CEO of Airbus is on the board of Medef
Guillaume Faury
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
Airbus Group is an indirect member of MEDEF through GIFAS (as ofJune 2022)
not specified
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
Airbus Group senior executive is chairman of MEDEF member association
Marwan Lahoud (2017)
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
Senior Executive of Airbus Group was on the MEDEF Executive Committee (2016)
Marwan Lahoud
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
CEO of Airbus is on the board of Medef
Guillaume Faury
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
Airbus Group is an indirect member of MEDEF through GIFAS (as ofJune 2022)
not specified
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
Airbus Group senior executive is chairman of MEDEF member association
Marwan Lahoud (2017)
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
Senior Executive of Airbus Group was on the MEDEF Executive Committee (2016)
Marwan Lahoud
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
Senior executive is chair of the Working group on European research and innovation policy. CEO of AIRBUS Defence & Space GmbH is on the Presidential Board of BDI (correct as of January 2023)
Dr. Michael Schöllhorn and Torsten Bardewyck
--no extract--
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
Senior executives are chairs of the Working group on European research and innovation policy (as of June 2022)
Torsten Bardewyck and Dr. Markus Broich
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
Senior executive is chair of the Working group on European research and innovation policy. CEO of AIRBUS Defence & Space GmbH is on the Presidential Board of BDI (correct as of January 2023)
Dr. Michael Schöllhorn and Torsten Bardewyck
--no extract--
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
Senior executives are chairs of the Working group on European research and innovation policy (as of June 2022)
Torsten Bardewyck and Dr. Markus Broich
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
Airbus Japan is a member of the Environment and Energy Committee
Airbus Japan Managing Director Stephane Ginoux
--no extract--
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
Airbus Japan is a member of the Environment and Energy Committee
Airbus Japan Managing Director Stephane Ginoux
--no extract--
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
Senior Executive of Airbus is on the Board of Hydrogen Europe
Glenn Llewellyn
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
Airbus Group is a direct member of Hydrogen Europe (as of June 2022)
not specified
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
Senior Executive of Airbus is on the Board of Hydrogen Europe
Glenn Llewellyn
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
Airbus Group is a direct member of Hydrogen Europe (as of June 2022)
not specified
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
Airbus is a member of CBI President's Committee, Wales Council, South West Council and Under 35 Committee (As of February 2022)
not specified
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
Airbus is a member of CBI President's Committee, Wales Council, South West Council and Under 35 Committee (As of February 2022)
not specified
In this section, we depict graphically the relationships the corporation has with trade associations, federations, advocacy groups and other third parties who may be acting on their behalf to influence climate change policy. Each of the columns above represents one relationship the corporation appears to have with such a third party. In these columns, the top, dark section represents the strength of the relationship the corporation has with the influencer. For example if a corporation's senior executive also held a key role in the trade association, we would deem this to be a strong relationship and it would be on the far left of the chart above, with the weaker ones to the right. Click on these grey shaded upper sections for details of these relationships. The middle section contains a link to the organization score details of the influencer concerned, so you can see the details of its climate change policy influence. Click on the middle sections for for details of the trade associations. The lower section contains the organization score of that influencer, the lower the more negatively it is influencing climate policy.
Climate Lobbying Overview: Airbus appears to have mixed engagement with climate policy in 2020-22. While Airbus communicates top-line support for EU climate targets and appears to support an EU sustainable aviation fuels mandate, it appears unsupportive of an EU kerosene tax and other climate-related taxes on aviation.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: Airbus’ 2021 Annual Report, published in 2022, expressed support for net-zero European aviation emissions by 2050 while communicating support for the Paris Agreement and the agreement of a long-term aspirational goal through ICAO, without specifying a date. In a December 2021 European Roundtable publication, Airbus CEO, Guillaume Faury, expressed support for the EU’s Green Deal and 2030 target. However, comments from Guillaume Faury, in an April 2021 Flight Global article, criticized the EU for being “too regulated” around climate. Airbus CEO, Guillaume Faury, also appeared to leverage support for global regulations to oppose more stringent regional regulations during public comments at the Toulouse Summit in September 2021. The Airbus February 2022 ‘Report of the Board of Directors’ further stated regional regulations would “unbalance a competitive level playing field”. Additionally, a Senior Airbus Executive appeared to advocate for global regulations agreed through ICAO over regional policies at the A4E Aviation Summit in March 2022.
Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: In 2020-22, Airbus appears to have mixed engagement with climate policy. Airbus communicated support for ICAO’s CORSIA offsetting scheme for aviation in its 2021 Annual Report, published in 2022. Airbus’ 2021 CDP response also disclosed support for ICAO’s CO2 standard for aircraft. However, in a 2020 US consultation response, Airbus appeared to qualify its support for the US CO2 standard with the exception that “Airbus does not believe the EPA should impose rules that are different from, or in excess of” ICAO’s standards.
Airbus appears to have positive engagement around an EU sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) blending mandate. A July 2021 Clean Skies for Tomorrow report, endorsed by Airbus, appeared to support an EU SAF mandate. In a September 2021 meeting with the EU Commission, obtained by InfluenceMap via Freedom of Information request, Airbus seemed to advocate for increased ambition of the ReFuelEU Aviation initiative, while highlighting cost and competitiveness concerns. Airbus also appeared to support a UK SAF mandate in a September 2021 testimony to a UK parliamentary committee, stating “any SAF mandate…needs to be implemented along with a price certainty policy by the end of 2022 at the latest”. Airbus CEO, Guillaume Faury, further communicated support for SAF and hydrogen mandates under a “harmonised Single Market regulatory framework” in a December 2021 European Roundtable publication.
Regarding the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS), through their endorsement of CST’s October 2020 policy proposal, Airbus appeared to advocate for a delay in reforms to strengthen the EU ETS for aviation until after the COVID-19 recovery. More positively, a June 2020 public consultation response appeared supportive of an increase in the linear reduction factor, strengthening the emissions reduction potential of the EU ETS. Additionally, in a September 2021 email to DG MOVE, accessed via FOI request, Airbus appeared to support a higher carbon price.
In a February 2021 public consultation response on the Energy Efficiency Directive, Airbus appear supportive of increased ambition and binding sectoral targets, while supporting only indicative national targets. Airbus further appeared to support the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive in June 2021 and March 2021 EU public consultation responses.
Positioning on Energy Transition: In 2020-22, Airbus appears to have mixed engagement with measures to decarbonize aviation. A 2020 op-ed by Airbus CEO, Guillaume Faury, seemed to emphasize aviation’s environmental benefits over rail, and stressed that the “expectations of what rail can achieve exceed the current reality”. In a February 2021 presentation to the EU Commission Airbus urged the EU to support a fleet renewal scheme as part of the EU green stimulus, suggesting that such measures should be included in the EU Taxonomy. In communications with a UK parliamentary committee in September 2021, Airbus also appeared unsupportive of aviation ticket taxes. The Financial Times further reported apparent opposition from Airbus CEO, Guillaume Faury, to an EU kerosene tax in July 2021. However, at the March 2022 A4E Aviation Summit, a Senior Executive appeared to support increased EU renewable energy targets and hydrogen infrastructure. In October 2021, Airbus published a joint letter with several other major aviation manufacturers, in which it broadly called for “appropriate regional policy mechanisms and positive incentives” that stimulate the production of SAFs and green hydrogen in the aviation sector.
Industry Association Governance: Airbus has provided a limited disclosure of some of its trade association memberships on its website, with no further details on their climate positions or Airbus’ engagement with them. Airbus has not published a review of its alignment with its industry associations. Airbus is a strategic partner of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which has actively and negatively lobbied climate regulation for aviation at global, regional, and national levels. Airbus is also a member of Airlines for Europe, which is actively lobbying against ambitious climate policy for aviation in Europe and a board member of Mouvement des Entreprises de France MEDEF, which has lobbied French and EU climate policy with mostly negative engagement.
InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement on a weekly basis, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information see our methodology). While this analysis flows through to the company’s scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically. This summary was last updated in Q3 2022.