Airbus Collaborates with Quantinuum to Explore Quantum Logistics Optimization
January 27, 2023
Airbus, the European aerospace giant, signaled a new phase in its quantum technology roadmap by announcing a strategic collaboration with Quantinuum on January 27, 2023. The focus: applying hybrid quantum algorithms to optimize logistics planning across Airbus’s complex aerospace supply chain.
Airbus has long been an early adopter of advanced technologies like digital twins, AI, and blockchain. With this latest initiative, it aims to address some of the aerospace industry’s most persistent logistics challenges: delayed parts shipments, inefficient inventory planning, and increasingly volatile demand patterns in a post-pandemic, geopolitically tense world.
Quantum computing has matured significantly over the past two years, with hybrid models—blending classical and quantum computing—showing real-world promise in tackling combinatorial optimization problems. These are the same types of problems that underpin aircraft parts routing, resource allocation, and maintenance scheduling.
According to Isabell Gradert, Head of Central Research & Technology at Airbus, “Quantum optimization is no longer theoretical. With partners like Quantinuum, we are starting to see measurable benefits in route compression and parts provisioning that could lead to major cost and sustainability improvements.”
Airbus’s global supply chain spans more than 12,000 tier-1 and tier-2 suppliers, involving millions of components for aircraft ranging from the A220 to the A350 XWB. Delays in any segment can result in bottlenecks that cost hundreds of thousands of euros per hour.
In the January announcement, Airbus emphasized two quantum logistics targets:
Spare parts placement across MRO hubs to reduce aircraft on ground (AOG) incidents
Intermodal logistics route optimization to minimize carbon emissions and delays across rail, truck, and air freight
These targets align with the company's FlightPath2050 sustainability and digitalization goals.
Quantinuum, formed from the merger of Honeywell Quantum Solutions and Cambridge Quantum, brings to the table a proprietary platform known as H1-1, which has achieved quantum volume scores over 8192 as of late 2022. The company focuses on practical enterprise-ready solutions that leverage:
Variational Quantum Eigensolvers (VQE)
Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithms (QAOA)
Quantum Natural Language Processing (QNLP)
For Airbus, Quantinuum will develop custom hybrid solvers for facility location problems, inventory replenishment models, and optimal spare parts routing.
Though still in its early stages, the Airbus-Quantinuum collaboration has already produced compelling test results. In a simulated logistics planning exercise for Airbus’s Toulouse operations hub, the quantum-enhanced algorithm yielded:
13% reduction in average lead time per shipment
11% decrease in stockouts across distributed warehouses
8% optimization in emissions across combined truck-air logistics
While these are simulation-based results, Airbus stated that it plans to validate them through live digital twin deployment across its logistics control tower in Q2 2023.
The push to quantum isn’t unique to Airbus. Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Raytheon have all launched or expanded quantum research efforts within the past 18 months. However, Airbus is differentiating itself by pushing quantum applications out of the lab and into supply chain operations.
“Quantum computing’s value to aerospace will be greatest not in theoretical materials science or encryption, but in optimizing the vast, multi-tiered supply chains that keep this industry flying,” said Dr. Ilyas Khan, Chief Product Officer at Quantinuum.
This collaboration also reflects broader EU efforts to establish a leadership position in quantum innovation. The Airbus-Quantinuum partnership aligns with the goals of the European Quantum Flagship program and benefits indirectly from UK-EU research bridges established under Horizon Europe.
Quantinuum, with operations in both the UK and U.S., is one of the few companies bridging quantum hardware and software integration, making it an ideal partner for Airbus’s industrial use case.
According to the announcement, Airbus and Quantinuum will take a phased approach:
Q1–Q2 2023: Validate hybrid quantum algorithms in simulation and twin environments
Q3 2023: Deploy pilot algorithm in a live spare parts logistics workflow in Germany
Q4 2023: Expand quantum route optimization to include global parts flows from Asia to Europe
If successful, the program could scale to Airbus Helicopters and the Defense & Space divisions by 2024.
Airbus’s approach suggests a shift from experimental quantum R&D toward the development of quantum value chains—ecosystems where quantum technology impacts upstream and downstream logistics, manufacturing, and lifecycle management. This includes integration with digital twin platforms like Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE, use of quantum-enhanced fleet availability forecasting, and application of post-quantum cryptography to secure aircraft parts provenance.
Despite the excitement, barriers remain. Quantum systems still face issues of error correction and coherence stability, integration with existing logistics ERP platforms, and high operational costs of quantum hardware. Airbus’s strategy is to use cloud-based quantum access—minimizing infrastructure costs while staying hardware-agnostic.
The January 2023 Airbus-Quantinuum collaboration is a major milestone in transitioning quantum computing from academic research to practical logistics applications. If the pilot proves successful, it may serve as a blueprint not just for aerospace but for any industry grappling with vast, high-stakes supply chains.
As Gradert emphasized during the announcement, “We’re not waiting for a perfect quantum computer—we’re leveraging what’s possible now to create competitive, sustainable advantage.”