 Noel Forgeard (right) was said to have wished to continue as head of Airbus |
Airbus owner EADS has finally named Noel Forgeard and Thomas Enders as its new joint chief executives, ending months of reported boardroom wrangling. Their appointments had been delayed after reports of a bitter dispute between EADS' German and French shareholders.
The row centred on Frenchman Mr Forgeard's alleged wish to also hold onto the top job at Airbus.
EADS' German shareholders publicly opposed such a move.
Mr Forgeard is now being replaced as Airbus chief executive by Gustav Humbert, who will become the first German to run the Toulouse-based firm.
Mr Humbert is currently Airbus' chief operating officer.
United front
Formed in 2000, EADS has always been led by one French chief executive and one German, to reflect its shareholder balance.
 Gustav Humbert has been a central figure in Airbus' development |
It is 30% owned by German/US car firm Daimler Chrysler, with another 30% owned by a holding company jointly controlled by the French government and French defence and media conglomerate Lagardere.
"Our focus will be to continue the company's strong growth trajectory and commitment to innovation, and to reinforce our focus on business performance, Mr Enders and Mr Forgeard said in a joint statement.
EADS controls 80% of Airbus, with the British defence firm BAE Systems owning the remainder.
Airbus recently carried out the successful test flight of its A380 twin-deck super-jumbo which can carry more than 800 passengers.
Some analysts had said that the reported boardroom disputes at EADS were holding back the A380's smooth development.
One-Minute World News 
News services
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 