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Airbus celebrates its 50th anniversary with a special formation flight

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

AircraftICAO Type DesignatorRegistration
A220-300BCS3C-FFDO
A319neoA19ND-AVWA
A330-900A339F-WTTN
A350-1000A35KF-WMIL
A380-800A388F-WWOW
BelugaXLA337F-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.

Airbus 50th anniversary departure from Toulouse
The six aircraft depart Toulouse at the start of Airbus’ 50th anniversary celebrations

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.

Airbus50 Parked at Gate Airbus50 Lineup Airbus50 Formation Sideview Airbus50 Formation over Med Airbus50 Formation from below Airbus50 Formation from Above Airbus50 Taxi Queue Airbus50 Back View
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