Founder Profile
Roger Béteille
Last reviewed: September 2026 · By Swet Parvadiya
Who is Roger Béteille?
Roger Béteille is a founder of Airbus SE, which was founded in 1970 with Henri Ziegler, Felix Kracht and Franz Josef Strauss.
- Company founded
- Airbus SE
- Founded
- 1970
- Co-founders
- Henri Ziegler, Felix Kracht and Franz Josef Strauss
Background
French aeronautical engineer who previously worked at Sud Aviation.
Founding Story
Roger Béteille (1921-2019) is widely considered the technical father of Airbus. As the chief engineer, he established the fundamental design philosophy of the A300, pioneering the use of twin engines for wide-body aircraft to drastically cut airline operating costs. He also mandated that English be the official working language of the consortium to streamline multi-national engineering. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
Sources
This profile does not yet cite a source specific to Roger Béteille. The sources below document the company company rather than the person, so check them against the claims above.
- Airbus Full-Year 2025 Results (Airbus SE)
- Airbus SE Board Report FY2025 (Airbus SE)