Toulouse: European Aerospace Capital
Toulouse is Europe’s #1 aerospace city, hosting the global headquarters of Airbus (180,000 employees worldwide), Thales Alenia Space, ATR, and a supply chain of 400+ aerospace companies. The France 2030 mobility allocation (€4 billion) directly benefits this cluster.
Aerospace by the Numbers
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Aerospace Jobs (region) | 120,000+ |
| Airbus Deliveries (2024) | 766 aircraft |
| Space Companies | 80+ |
| Annual R&D Spend | €3B+ |
SpaceTech Startups
Toulouse’s space ecosystem is thriving: Exotrail (electric satellite propulsion, €54M raised), Kinéis (IoT satellite constellation), Loft Orbital (satellite-as-a-service), and Hemeria (microsatellites). CNES (French space agency) and ONERA (aerospace research) anchor the research pipeline.
Hydrogen Aviation
Airbus’s ZEROe program targets a hydrogen-powered commercial aircraft by 2035. Toulouse hosts the hydrogen aviation ecosystem: Safran (engines), Liebherr (systems), and startups like Beyond Aero (hydrogen-electric light aircraft). France 2030 funds hydrogen infrastructure for aviation ground operations at Toulouse-Blagnac airport.