European aerospace and defence giant EADS plans to cut several thousand jobs as part of a plan to restructure its defence and space businesses, informed sources told DPA Wednesday.
Up to 8,000 jobs could be scrapped after three EADS subsidiaries — Airbus Military, Astrium and Cassidian — are merged into a new division called Airbus Defence & Space next year, the sources said.
EADS had already announced the restructuring plan in July but gave no details on job cuts.
CEO Tom Enders had hinted at painful cuts in October, telling Germany’s Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper that the group would “not get away without further reductions in cost and staff,” and warning of “tough measures.”
Airbus Military builds military aircraft, Astrium is Europe’s leading space company and Cassidian is EADS’s defence subsidiary.
The sources said the cuts could affect up to 20 per cent of their combined workforce of 40,000.
EADS refused to be drawn on details of the plan, which are to be announced on December 9.
“The figures have not yet been decided,” a spokesman said. “As a rule, we always talk first with the social partners.”