Stelia Aerospace (stylized STELIA Aerospace) is an
aerospace
Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and astr ...
company headquartered in
Toulouse
Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Pa ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
. It specializes in the design and
manufacture of
aerostructure
An aerostructure is a component of an aircraft's airframe. This may include all or part of the fuselage, wings, or flight control surfaces. Companies that specialize in constructing these components are referred to as "aerostructures manufacturer ...
s, pilot seats and
premium class passenger seats, mainly for the commercial
aviation
Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot a ...
sector.
Stelia Aerospace was created on 1 January 2015 by the merger of two
Airbus
Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft throughout the world. The company has three divisions: ' ...
business units: ''Aerolia'' and ''SOGERMA''. The company is a wholly owned
subsidiary of
Airbus
Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft throughout the world. The company has three divisions: ' ...
.
History
Stelia Aerospace can trace its origins back to the merge of two companies, SOGERMA and Aerolia. SOGERMA (''Société girondine d’entretien et de réparation de matériel aéronautique'') was a French company founded in 1924 amid the early days of aviation.
Prior to its restructuring in 2006, the company largely focused on
maintenance, repair and overhaul
Aircraft maintenance is the performance of tasks required to ensure the continuing airworthiness of an aircraft or aircraft part, including overhaul, inspection, replacement, defect rectification, and the embodiment of modifications, compliance w ...
(MRO), but subsequently directed its resources to its specialist
aerostructures and seating activities.
AEROLIA SA was founded on 1 January 2009 as a
spin-off of
Airbus France's aerostructures activities. This involved the
Méaulte
Méaulte () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.
Geography
The commune is situated on the D329 road, some northeast of Amiens.
Population
Personalities
* Henry Potez (1891–1981), aeroplane maker, w ...
and
Saint-Nazaire industrial plants, along with a design office in
Toulouse
Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Pa ...
.
In 2007, EADS' management decided to respond to the weakening
US dollar
The United States dollar ( symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the officia ...
and large investments required for the
Airbus A380
The Airbus A380 is a large wide-body airliner that was developed and produced by Airbus. It is the world's largest passenger airliner and only full-length double-deck jet airliner.
Airbus studies started in 1988, and the project was annou ...
and
A350 XWB programs by restructuring in order to streamline, divest several non-core activities, and cut costs.
Aerospace periodical
Flight International
''Flight International'' is a monthly magazine focused on aerospace. Published in the United Kingdom and founded in 1909 as "A Journal devoted to the Interests, Practice, and Progress of Aerial Locomotion and Transport", it is the world's old ...
compared the move to
Boeing
The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and p ...
's then-recent spin-off of
Spirit AeroSystems
Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc., based in Wichita, Kansas, is the world's largest first-tier aerostructures manufacturer. The company builds several important pieces of Boeing aircraft, including the fuselage of the 737, portions of the 787 fu ...
.
On 1 January 2015, ''Stelia Aerospace'' was created via the
merger of Aerolia and Sogerma. At the time, Stelia Aerospace employed roughly 6,100 staff across 11 different locations, and the two merged businesses were considered "complementary". Contracts previously undertaken by the two firms carried over to the new entity, including those for fitting-out work on Airbus airliners.
In March 2017, Stelia Aerospace inaugurated its new aeronautics factory in
Méaulte
Méaulte () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.
Geography
The commune is situated on the D329 road, some northeast of Amiens.
Population
Personalities
* Henry Potez (1891–1981), aeroplane maker, w ...
, Northern
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
; this facility, which handles production of the forward fuselages of Airbus airliners and central fuselage of
Bombardier Aerospace
Bombardier Aviation is a division of Bombardier Inc. It is headquartered in Dorval, Quebec, Canada. Its most popular aircraft included the Dash 8 Series 400, CRJ100/200/440, and CRJ700/900/1000 lines of regional airliners, and the newer CS ...
’s
Global 7500 series of
business jet
A business jet, private jet, or bizjet is a jet aircraft designed for transporting small groups of people. Business jets may be adapted for other roles, such as the evacuation of casualties or express parcel deliveries, and some are used by pu ...
s, had required a €70 million investment. In February 2018, Stelia Aerospace demonstrated a metallic fuselage panel manufactured using
3D printing
3D printing or additive manufacturing is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer co ...
techniques. The same year, the firm acquired a majority share of Toulouse-based
digital modelling specialist Portalliance Engineering.
In October 2019, Stelia Aerospace announced plans to build a new assembly plant in
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
at a cost of €40 million. In February 2020, the company started a three-year partnership with Bombardier for the AILE (''Aile Intelligente et Légère pour l’Environnement'', or ''Intelligent and Light Wing for Environment'') research programme.
Starting on 1 January 2022, Stelia Aerospace sites worldwide were grouped with other Airbus sites in Nantes and Montoir-de-Bretagne under the newly formed Airbus subsidiary ''Airbus Atlantic''.
Business activities
Stelia Aerospace has three main business segments:
* Aerostructures
* Premium class
airline seats (First, Business, Premium Economy)
* Pilot seats
Stelia Aerospace also manufactures aircraft interiors.
Aerostructures
![Convoi voilure ATR](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Convoi_voilure_ATR.jpg)
Stelia Aerospace designs and manufactures fully equipped aircraft fuselage sections from the nose to the rear, wings and special Work Packages such as the main landing gear bay,
A400M
The Airbus A400M AtlasNamed after the Greek mythological figure. is a European four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. It was designed by Airbus Military (now Airbus Defence and Space) as a tactical airlifter with strategic capabi ...
ramp door, and helicopter tail boom.
A major portion of the company's business is the design and manufacturing of aerostructures, including complex detailed parts comprising both
composite
Composite or compositing may refer to:
Materials
* Composite material, a material that is made from several different substances
** Metal matrix composite, composed of metal and other parts
** Cermet, a composite of ceramic and metallic materials
...
and metallic materials. STELIA Aerospace claims that it is one of a small number of companies able to provide a fully equipped section (metallic and/or composite fuselage section, with all the tubes and wiring systems integrated), developing the “plug and fly” concept.
- Wings of the
ATR family, which are fully equipped and tested up to the final test benches.
- Central section of the Bombardier large business jet Global 7000/8000.
- Various sections of the
Airbus A220
The Airbus A220 is a family of five-abreast narrow-body airliners by Airbus Canada Limited Partnership. It was originally designed by Bombardier and had two years in service as the Bombardier CSeries.
The program was launched on 13 July ...
, such as the cockpit and aft fuselage.
- Elements of the
Airbus BelugaXL
The Airbus BelugaXL (A330-743L) is a large transport aircraft based on the Airbus A330-200F built by Airbus to replace the original Airbus Beluga to move oversized aircraft components, such as wings. The aircraft made its first flight on 19 July ...
, including the nose section, cargo door, and upper fuselage with pre-integrated systems (electrical, hydraulic, air conditioning, oxygen, etc.)
Locations
Stelia Aerospace is a global business with 11 worldwide industrial facilities and supporting offices.
References
External links
*
*
{{Airbus
Airbus subsidiaries and divisions
Aerospace companies of France
Aircraft component manufacturers of France
Airliner seating
Manufacturing companies based in Toulouse
French companies established in 2015
Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 2015