Airbus No. 2 Bregier bails out after handing over latest model

Handing over a new aircraft is usually a celebratory affair: the customer inspects the new toy, the planemaker breathes a sigh of relief, and everyone poses with a big smile. For Airbus SE’s second-in-command Fabrice Bregier, the delivery of the first A350-1000 model came with a bitter-sweet tinge: his last day at the European manufacturing giant after being overlooked for the top job. Bregier, 56, at least had the satisfaction of seeing the A350 through to the end of its launch phase, with the stretched -1000 model representing the culmination of a program whose production problems took some of the gloss off its sales success during his final years at the company. “I could have stayed a bit longer, but I think I am one of the top managers who has spent the longest time running Airbus,” Bregier, Airbus’s COO and the head of its main jetliner arm, said at a ceremony in Toulouse, France, after handing the plane to Qatar Airways. Frenchman Bregier insisted that he had “only good memories” of 15 years at Airbus, before which he led the company’s MBDA missiles joint venture. His exit was announced in December after he failed to muster sufficient boardroom support to succeed Chief Executive Officer Tom Enders, who plans to stand down next year when his current term expires. The news came as a shock, with Bregier having been regarded as heir-apparent given Airbus’s routine of alternating between French and German leaders. As recently as Dec. 14 he made clear that he was still keen to run the group. Helicopters chief Guillaume Faury is now seen as favorite to become chief after being chosen to head the jetliner arm, albeit not as COO.<br/>