Airbus Chief Executive Christian Streiff resigned and will be succeeded temporarily by a top official from European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co., the corporate parent of Airbus, Wall Street Journal.
Louis Gallois, co-chief executive of EADS, will run Airbus on an interim basis, until a new chief executive can be found.
Differences between Mr. Streiff and EADS officials flared over the past 10 days. Germany’s DaimlerChrysler AG, a major EADS shareholder, withdrew support for the former Airbus boss, according to a person familiar with the situation.
DaimlerChrysler, which is EADS’s largest single shareholder with roughly 22%, believes Mr. Streiff created an untenable situation at Airbus, this person said. “The mess he has created is unacceptable,” the person said. EADS’s main French shareholders, media company Lagard & #269;re SCA and the French state, together also hold roughly a 22% stake.
