Knighthood for Airbus Chief
Toulouse, 07 April 2004
In a rare and exceptional mark of recognition to a senior European industrialist, Airbus President and Chief Executive Officer Noël Forgeard has been knighted by the Her Majesty The Queen.
The honour, which is only very occasionally awarded to non-British nationals, has been awarded to Noël Forgeard in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the civil aerospace industry, including employment and the education and training of apprentices in the United Kingdom.
The Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) was bestowed upon the Airbus President and Chief Executive Officer during the last day of Her Majesty The Queen's state visit to France. The three day visit marks the centenary anniversary of the Entente Cordiale agreement between the two countries.
On the final day of the state visit, Her Majesty The Queen visited the Airbus assembly facilities in Toulouse in Southern France. During her tour of the Airbus aircraft final assembly plant The Queen was accompanied by His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh and Mme Bernadette Chirac, representing the French government.
Her Majesty met and spoke with British and French workers from Airbus, the engine supplier Rolls-Royce and the landing gear supplier Messier-Dowty, at the A330/A340 final assembly line, in the area where British-built wings are joined to the French-built center-fuselage.
Her Majesty then unveiled a new Virgin Atlantic Airways A340-600 aircraft named, ‘Queen of the Skies’ in celebration of the Entente Cordiale. Virgin Atlantic Chairman Sir Richard Branson was present to witness the unveiling and award ceremony.
Having joined Airbus in 1998, Noel Forgeard has led the currently 50,000-strong company in its transition from a partnership of separate British, French, German and Spanish industrial interests into a single company whilst establishing Airbus as the world's leading civil airliner manufacturer.
Noël Forgeard already holds the French decoration "Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur".
A leading aircraft manufacturer with the most modern and comprehensive product line on the market, Airbus is a global company with design and manufacturing facilities in France, Germany, the UK and Spain as well as subsidiaries in the U.S., China and Japan. Headquartered in Toulouse, France, Airbus is an EADS joint Company with BAE Systems.
Airbus Website: http://www.airbus.com
E-Mail: media@airbus.com
Editors Notes: Order of the British Empire
The KBE is one of two knight grades within the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. The Order of the British Empire is an 'order of chivalry' within the British honours system and was established in 1917. The order is limited to only 845 Knights and Dames Commanders. Most recipients are British or from certain other Commonwealth countries and the honour is only occasionally awarded to foreign nationals. Among the few other non-British recipients have been Irish songwriter and humanitarian worker Bob Geldof, the ex-Mayor of New York, Rudolph Guiliani, the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Alan Greenspan and the founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates.
