On 29 May, Airbus began its 50th anniversary celebrations with a special Airbus formation flight in the skies above France. Sadly, the weather did not cooperate for a planned flypast in Toulouse. Taking part in the special flight were the A220, A319neo, A330-900, A350-1000, A380, and BelugaXL. The Airbus formation was also met by the French Air Force acrobatic team Patrouille de France.
Participating Aircraft
| Aircraft | ICAO Type Designator | Registration |
|---|---|---|
| A220-300 | BCS3 | C-FFDO |
| A319neo | A19N | D-AVWA |
| A330-900 | A339 | F-WTTN |
| A350-1000 | A35K | F-WMIL |
| A380-800 | A388 | F-WWOW |
| BelugaXL | A337 | F-WBXS |
For taxi and and departure all Airbus aircraft transponders were active. When the formation flying began, only the lead aircraft’s transponder remained visible. The full path of the formation can be seen in the path of the lead aircraft, the A319neo.
Photos of the formation flight
While the weather at the Toulouse airport made a flypast impossible, Airbus has released a collection of photos from above the clouds.
![An example full flight summary response from the Flightradar24 API: { "data": [ { "fr24_id": "0987654321", "flight": "SK1415", "callsign": "SAS1415", "operated_as": "SAS", "painted_as": "SAS", "type": "A20N", "reg": "SE-DOY", "orig_icao": "ESSA", "orig_iata": "ARN", "datetime_takeoff": "2023-01-27T05:15:22", "runway_takeoff": "12R", "dest_icao": "EKCH", "dest_iata": "CPH", "dest_icao_actual": "EPWA", "dest_iata_actual": "WAW", "datetime_landed": "2023-01-27T06:15:10", "runway_landed": "27L", "flight_time": 3600, "actual_distance": 1007.74, "circle_distance": 6245, "category": "Passenger", "hex": "4A91F9", "first_seen": "2023-01-27T05:06:22", "last_seen": "2023-01-27T06:18:10", "flight_ended": "true" } ] }](https://www.flightradar24.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Flight-summary-API-cover-300x148.jpg)
![An example full flight summary response from the Flightradar24 API: { "data": [ { "fr24_id": "0987654321", "flight": "SK1415", "callsign": "SAS1415", "operated_as": "SAS", "painted_as": "SAS", "type": "A20N", "reg": "SE-DOY", "orig_icao": "ESSA", "orig_iata": "ARN", "datetime_takeoff": "2023-01-27T05:15:22", "runway_takeoff": "12R", "dest_icao": "EKCH", "dest_iata": "CPH", "dest_icao_actual": "EPWA", "dest_iata_actual": "WAW", "datetime_landed": "2023-01-27T06:15:10", "runway_landed": "27L", "flight_time": 3600, "actual_distance": 1007.74, "circle_distance": 6245, "category": "Passenger", "hex": "4A91F9", "first_seen": "2023-01-27T05:06:22", "last_seen": "2023-01-27T06:18:10", "flight_ended": "true" } ] }](https://www.flightradar24.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Flight-summary-API-cover-768x378.jpg)
