Thought Leadership
Airbus is shifting part of its IT infrastructure away from Amazon Web Services (AWS) and moving it to French cloud provider Scaleway. The migration covers 900 business-critical applications, with the first 70 highly sensitive systems scheduled to transition in the initial phase.
The aerospace manufacturer has selected Scaleway to host applications it considers essential to its operations. In total, 900 mission-critical workloads will ultimately be migrated, beginning with 70 of the company’s most sensitive systems.
The applications moving to Scaleway include ERP software, Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), CRM platforms, and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) software.
Procurement Process Began Earlier This Year
Airbus announced in December 2025 that it would launch a competitive tender for the project, with the formal selection process beginning in early 2026.
Catherine Jestin, Airbus Chief Digital Officer, said the company selected Scaleway because of its compelling technical proposal and highly competitive commercial terms compared with offerings from major hyperscale cloud providers. Another key factor was Scaleway’s commitment to involving Airbus in shaping its future product roadmap.
“The decision to choose Scaleway is based on a combination of a highly compelling technical solution and a very attractive commercial offering, making the company competitive with the public cloud services of the hyperscalers. In addition, Scaleway has committed to involving Airbus in defining its future product roadmap.”
Catherine Jestin, Chief Digital Officer, Airbus
According to Jestin, the initial migration focuses on applications required to maintain the company’s so-called Minimum Viable Company operations — the critical systems needed to keep Airbus running during emergency scenarios. Of the 900 relevant applications, the first 70 are currently hosted on AWS and will now be transferred to Scaleway.
At the beginning of the procurement process, it was far from certain that a European cloud provider could handle a contract of this scale. Airbus itself noted last year that European cloud vendors generally do not yet match the scale of the largest U.S. hyperscalers.
AWS Remains Part of Airbus’ Cloud Strategy
The move does not mark a complete departure from AWS. According to Jestin, Airbus will continue hosting its Skywise data platform — which collects and analyzes aviation data — as well as its technical customer support platform on AWS.
The company is also maintaining partnerships with other U.S. technology providers, including Microsoft and Google for productivity software, as well as Salesforce, Coupa, and Workday for enterprise services.
Jestin emphasized that Airbus is not seeking to eliminate non-European technology providers altogether. Instead, cloud deployment decisions will depend on the sensitivity of the data involved.
In a statement, she said the new cloud environment will help protect critical corporate data from the reach of foreign legislation while preserving operational control and ensuring the stability of Airbus’ industrial processes.
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