After about 1 hour and 20 minutes heading south from Paris, France, the city known as 'the pink city' (La Ville Rose), Toulouse, appeared. This nickname comes from the fact that most of the buildings in the old town are made of red clay terracotta bricks.
Toulouse has multiple descriptors aside from its romantic nickname. Among the notable phrases are 'the most innovative city in the world' and 'the capital of Europe's aerospace industry.' In terms of city population, it is around 500,000, similar in size to Paju, South Korea, but its industrial influence is at the highest level globally due to the concentration of large aerospace corporations.
When you land at Blagnac Airport, the gateway to Toulouse, the headquarters of Airbus, the world's largest commercial aircraft manufacturer, is the first thing you see. Traveling from the airport to downtown Toulouse, you can easily encounter factories and offices of corporations such as Thales, a global satellite company, and Safran, which manufactures engines and components for both civilian and military aircraft.
On the 3rd, at the Airbus Museum in Toulouse (Cité de l'Espace), Jean-Claude Dardelet, the Deputy Mayor of Toulouse, said, 'Immediately after World War II, both Toulouse and Bordeaux had populations of about 200,000, but now, 80 years later, while Bordeaux remains around 250,000, Toulouse has grown into a city of over 500,000.' He noted, 'Companies in the global aerospace sector have gathered in Toulouse to seek customers.'
◇Steady distribution policy over 60 years
Since the Middle Ages, Toulouse has been one of the representative educational cities in Europe, but its industry did not develop much. It was not a city close to the sea or known for famous tourist attractions. Up until the early 20th century, it consisted only of small-scale manufacturing plants. However, since the establishment of the aircraft manufacturer Aéropostale in 1927, it has developed into a city representing France's aerospace industry. It was also where the novelist Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, famous for 'The Little Prince,' worked as a pilot.
The French government's distribution policy played a significant role in making Toulouse the center of aerospace industry not only in Europe but also globally. The French government implemented two major decentralization policies in the 1960s and 1990s. In order to prevent population concentration in Paris, main industries, higher education institutions, and research organizations were distributed to the regions.
When Toulouse was selected as one of the eight balanced cities in 1964, several organizations centered around the aerospace industry transferred there. In 1968, the National Higher School of Aeronautics, National School of Civil Aviation, and the Aerospace Research Center (ONERA) relocated from Paris to Toulouse, and the National Center for Space Studies (CNES) also partially transferred there. In 1970, Airbus was established in Toulouse.
The French government's decentralization policy did not progress easily from the beginning. Above all, it was difficult to bring engineers who lived in Paris to Toulouse. Deputy Mayor Dardelet explained, 'At that time, the French government promised to send 1,000 engineers living in Paris to Toulouse and said, "If you don't like it after a year, we will send you back to Paris."' He added, 'After a year, almost all of them settled down and did not return, making Toulouse a center of innovation and technology.'
Engineers decided to settle in Toulouse because of the 'quality of life' it offers. Deputy Mayor Dardelet identified four factors that determine the city's growth: housing, jobs, commercial activity, and leisure activities. He stated, 'To promote economic development in the city, it's important to enhance the quality of life for people who move to the area,' adding, 'Thanks to the satisfaction that engineers moving to Toulouse initially felt in these four areas, the city was able to develop.'
Deputy Mayor Dardelet also moved to Toulouse 30 years ago after working as an aerospace engineer in Paris. He remarked, 'When I came to Toulouse, I was able to get an apartment twice the size of what I had in Paris,' noting, 'Although the salary in Toulouse is about 85% of that in Paris, the cost of living and life satisfaction are much better in Toulouse.'
Toulouse continues to invest in urban infrastructure based on the revenue generated from the aerospace industry. The city of Toulouse is extending its subway line by 30 km and increasing transportation options and schools based on its annual budget of 3 billion euros (approximately 4.83 trillion won). Deputy Mayor Dardelet stated, 'Toulouse is seeing an annual population growth of 10,000, and soon it will surpass Lyon to become the third-largest city in France.'
◇The stage of Saint-Exupéry's activities transforms into a startup hub
The foundation of Toulouse's growth is its corporations. Moving southeast from downtown Toulouse, you will find 'B612,' the core hub of the Aerospace Valley, Europe's largest aerospace cluster. B612 is named after the asteroid from Saint-Exupéry's novel 'The Little Prince.' It stretches horizontally, a transformation from what was once a runway into an area for aerospace industry innovation. It was the very runway where Saint-Exupéry used to fly the plane himself.
Aerospace Valley is an aerospace cluster situated around Toulouse and Bordeaux. Established in 2005 to promote technological innovation and cooperation among academia, industry, and research in the aerospace field, it is the largest aerospace cluster in Europe, employing 140,000 people across over 800 corporations and institutions.
Thilo Schönfeld, the international cooperation officer at Aerospace Valley, stated, 'The personnel in the aerospace sector affiliated with Aerospace Valley account for 40% of the industry's total in France,' adding, 'There are currently 920 research and development (R&D) projects being conducted at Aerospace Valley, with funding reaching 2.06 billion euros (approximately 3.32 trillion won).'
Toulouse is home not only to large corporations like Airbus and Thales but also to numerous startups in the aerospace sector. The collaboration between large corporations, SMEs, and startups has been a key factor in establishing Toulouse as a global aerospace city.
A representative from the German aerospace startup Exploration Company, based in B612, explained, 'Our headquarters is in Germany, but we have an office in Aerospace Valley because it greatly helps us find supply chains related to aerospace.'
◇Considering a Korean consulate… KAI office too
Last year, South Korea established the Korea Aerospace Administration and is promoting private-led space development known as New Space, using Toulouse as a model. The city of Sacheon, where the Korea Aerospace Administration is located, has declared it will become 'Korea's Toulouse' and has visited Toulouse multiple times, while various organizations such as Gyeongnam Techno Park and Gyeongnam Investment Agency are increasing communication with institutions like Toulouse and Aerospace Valley.
Deputy Mayor Dardelet has also mentioned that the Korean Embassy in France is pursuing plans for a consulate in Toulouse. He said, 'The Korean Embassy has contacted us expressing interest in establishing a consulate in Toulouse, and I think it's a very good idea,' adding, 'There are already consulates from 43 countries in Toulouse.'
Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), Airbus's key partner, also established a European office in Toulouse in 2021. Park Byung-wook, the head of the KAI Toulouse office, said, 'The headquarters of our core customer, Airbus, is located here in Toulouse, and all major competitors and aerospace engineering firms have offices or factories in Toulouse.' He remarked, 'In France, work often occurs through human networks, so to maintain relationships with key customers, we need to have an office in Toulouse and communicate directly.'
Park added, 'France was the first in Europe to open its industrial sector to foreign investments, and through the Corporations Facilitation Center (CFE), it actively simplifies various administrative procedures to attract foreign investment.' He suggested, 'In the future, if we set up facilities to support logistics or production near our local customers, business opportunities will naturally expand.'
(This article was written with the support of the Korea Press Foundation's 2025 KPF Diploma Aerospace Program.)