Airbus to Establish Presence at University of South Alabama

University of South Alabama (USA) and Airbus in North America have unveiled a new partnership designed to bring aerospace research, internships and talent development to the Gulf Coast region.

At the announcement on October 21, Airbus in North America Chairman and CEO Robin Hayes joined USA President Jo Bonner at the MacQueen Alumni Center to reveal plans for Airbus’s move into the campus’s Research and Technology Park.

Under the agreement, Airbus will relocate its growing Mobile-based U.S. Engineering Center to the University grounds. The move places the company within easy reach of University faculty, students and research infrastructure, while also granting Airbus access to medical and recreational facilities nearby.

“We want to harness the power of partnership with the University of South Alabama … and create internships to give students critical working experience while providing Airbus amazing talent for us to hire from over time,” Hayes said.

He emphasized that Airbus would support “industry benchmarking, curriculum development and research efforts,” and that the presence would act as a keystone to draw more innovation and business to the Technology Park.

For his part, President Bonner expressed gratitude and optimism. ““On behalf of our board of trustees, on behalf of our 100,000 proud alumni, our 14,285 students and counting, we welcome you with open arms to our Research and Technology Park. We thank you from the bottom of our heart for expressing confidence in our outstanding College of Engineering, our Mitchell College of Business and all the other academic units that will stand shoulder to shoulder with Airbus as we look to build that next generation of talent. We believe that we are a talent machine, and we believe in partnering with Airbus, we’re partnering with the world's most innovative, forward looking visionary, aerospace company.” 

Though some details are still being worked out, the timeline for moving Airbus staff to campus is under development.

The Research and Technology Park is located off University Boulevard on the north side of USA’s campus. The partnership is expected to fuel collaborative research, expand internship slots, and build a pipeline of engineering and business talent rooted in the region.

Hayes described the move as more than a facility relocation: “We’ll work together to build an engineering talent pipeline in quality and business, and we’ll give students the chance to work with our teams on real projects,” Hayes said in prepared remarks. “This will be more than a building. It’s a promise to the future of aerospace. It’s a pledge to invest in people, to create not just aerospace jobs, but also careers to continue propelling this region to lead the next era of flight.”