Airbus CEO warns of significant fines over corruption probe

Paris (Reuters): Airbus Chief Executive Tom Enders reiterated on Friday the group could face significant fines as the result of UK and French corruption investigations into the use of middlemen in plane sales.

“I cannot predict the outcome of this investigation but it is not impossible that the fine will be significant,” Enders told Le Monde in an interview.

“We know that all this is weighing on the company but we have no alternative.”

Britain and France have pledged to co-operate in their investigations, which were launched after Airbus disclosed anomalies last year in past filings on the use of agents.

It also faces an Austrian probe over a 2003 fighter sale. Enders told Le Monde he was not aware of any investigation being carried by the US Department of Justice.

Airbus is also conducting its own internal investigation in the hope of being offered a deal by UK prosecutors as a reward for co-operation and sharing results with investigators.

Emergency slides on some Airbus planes may be broken: regulator

Frankfurt (Reuters): Pumps used to inflate emergency slides on some Airbus A330 and A340 aircraft may be damaged due to improper folding by maintenance crews that caused cracks or leaks in shutoff valves, Europe’s aviation regulator warned.

“The slide may not perform as required in an emergency evacuation scenario,” the European Aviation Safety Agency said in a bulletin published on its website.

It said it did not consider the issue to cause unsafe conditions on the affected aircraft but said it wanted to remind airlines and maintenance crews to follow instructions for folding and packing the emergency slides.