Among the key economic sectors in Europe, aviation is of particular importance.

It has a strong international dimension embodied by multinational groups such as Airbus and EADS. During the year 2013, the aviation sector has generated a total of 197 billion euros of turnover and employed 777,000 people. Airbus has also received a total of 1,031 orders since the beginning of year 2014.

This area, whose development predates the existence of the European Union in its current form (creation of Airbus in 1970) is in this respect the subject of several EU funding programmes.

As part of the HORIZON 2020 programme, EUR 1.8 billion were allocated to the aviation industry in the subprogramme ITC CLEAN SKY 2 dedicated to aeronautics research and aims specifically at developing friendly technologies environment in the aviation industry. The objective is to contribute to improving the environmental impact of aeronautical technologies, including those relating to small aviation, as well as to developing a strong and globally competitive aeronautical industry and supply chain in Europe.
Moreover aviation is also included in the subprogramme PSC 11 – SMART, GREEN AND INTEGRATED TRANSPORT of HORIZON 2020 with a budget of 578.91 million euros to provide global leadership to the European Union in the field of transport.

Despite a strong American competition represented by Boeing and the emergence of China, the European aviation industry remains a dynamic and diverse sector producing many types of civilian and military aircraft including planes, drones, helicopters,  systems and equipments.