Airbus officially announced its joining of the Hyperledger project, and blockchain officially entered the aviation industry

French aircraft manufacturer Airbus has officially announced that it has joined Hyperledger, a blockchain project led by the Linux Foundation.

The Toulouse, France-based manufacturer, which beat Boeing to sell more than 1,000 aircraft last year, is expected to make a “positive contribution” to the Hyperledger project.

Airbus was founded in 1970 and produces and sells the world's largest passenger aircraft, the Airbus A380.

Brian Behlendorf, executive director of Hyperledger, said Airbus’s participation shows that blockchain technology has applications beyond finance and healthcare, commenting:

“A key element to the success of the Hyperledger project is the expertise and guidance of its members, so I look forward to working with the talented team at Airbus to advance this technology.”

According to the project’s GitHub page, two Airbus employees are currently serving on a subcommittee on the project, and correspondence on the Hyperledger mailing list indicates that Airbus has an internal emerging technologies and concepts working group that is exploring blockchain technology.

Airbus did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Airbus’ announcement reflects the aviation industry’s growing interest in blockchain technology. In May, blockchain startup ShoCard partnered with aviation IT company SITA to develop identity management applications.

Since its founding last year, the Hyperledger Project has attracted nearly 80 members, forming a community of large enterprises and startups, although some members have not been publicly announced. The project is managed by the Linux Foundation.