Airbus welcomes new Vice President of Industry and Civil Programs

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – It’s a new chapter for Airbus in Lowndes County.

In a press conference Tuesday, the company named Johannes Dienemann as the new Vice President of Industry and Civil Programs.

Dienemann is the successor to Mike Spears who previously served as Vice President for more than 8 years.

However, Dienemann is no stranger to the company. He’s been associated with Airbus since 2006.

Pilots with the Kennedy Space Center were also on hand Tuesday, as the company delivered their third H135 aircraft to Nasa.

The relationship between Nasa and Airbus formed about two years ago, and the first two aircraft were delivered this past September.

The H135s are used to police the Space Center from the air.

“We have been flying this aircraft for the past six months almost now, with literally no impact on our operation. We transitioned seamlessly. The training was done down at Kennedy Space Center, so Airbus accommodated bringing their trainers down to our location, to complete the pilot in-flight training for our aircraft,” said David Ramsey, Chief of Flight Operations at the Kennedy Space Center.

“So in the past, I’ve managed Military programs and civil programs, and now I’m actually in charge of the production line. So, in the past, I was a customer of Mike Spears. I would give him work to do if you will, and he would execute the work, and now I’m on the delivery end where I also have to deliver the work to myself. So, it’s a significant increase in scope. I’m very excited to work with the production people, the people that actually touch the aircraft, and that’s probably the biggest change,” said Johannes Dienemann, Vice President of Industry and Civil Programs.

Airbus was established in 2003.

Since then the company has manufactured about 1,400 different aircraft.

The company employs about 270 people, and 40% of those employees are veterans.