Airbus celebrated 50 years of aviation operations with a tribute that showed just how far the company—and commercial aviation—has come. ✈️🎉 Half a century ago, Airbus was still a young European aircraft manufacturer trying to challenge an industry dominated by established American manufacturers. Today, Airbus is one of the biggest names in global aviation, with aircraft flying across virtually every continent. To celebrate 50 years of operations in 2019, Airbus looked back at five decades of aircraft, engineering breakthroughs, and the millions of passengers who have traveled aboard its planes. The story began with the A300, which entered commercial service in 1974 and became the world's first twin-engine wide-body airliner. That aircraft changed the economics of long-distance aviation. Instead of relying on four engines for wide-body routes, the A300 demonstrated that a large twin-engine aircraft could safely and efficiently carry passengers over significant distances. And A...