Airbus shares jump as planemaker sets out targets and share buyback

Asked whether he planned to seek a fourth stint as CEO when his mandate expires in 2028, Guillaume Faury did not rule out staying on to deliver on the new targets.

"I am fully available for the board to do what they think is appropriate for the company and enjoy what I'm doing," Faury said, adding that he was surrounded by a team of leaders.

"It's not about a one-man show. It's still about the team making it happen," he said.

The issue of appointments is sensitive at Airbus, which adopted market-friendly governance in 2013 after years of Franco-German power-sharing, but which continues to pay attention to the balance of nationalities.

Sources say that Airbus' decision to name longstanding board member Amparo Moraleda of Spain as its next chairperson, rather than making the expected choice of a French candidate to succeed Germany's Rene Obermann, had provided flexibility for Faury to stay on.