Airault served with the French Navy for five years before joining the Société française de constructions mécaniques in 1892.

The industrialists Henri Deutsch de la Meurthe and Édouard Surcouf formed Société Astra to make dirigible airships.

[9][10] He became technical director of Compagnie générale transaérienne[2] (CGT, later Air France, founded in October 1909 by Louis Blériot), which was also owned by Henri Deutsch de la Meurthe.

Airault avoided a catastrophe, landing safely near Frémainville, Seine-et-Oise (now Val d'Oise), some 50 miles (85 km) from Meaux.

Brought back to Beauval, repaired and modified, l’España was delivered to the Spanish military authorities at the start of 1910.