EADS backs French aerospace tie-ups

A consolidation of French aircraft component suppliers is unavoidable and EADS is ready to participate in such a move, EADS boss Louis Gallois said on Thursday in an interview. "We have a responsibility in the sector's restructuring, in particular by supporting consolidations," Gallois told the economic daily Les Echos. "The question of consolidating French aircraft component manufacturers Latecoere, Sogerma and Aerolia to constitute a big group that is more independent of Airbus, as we have done in Germany, can be avoided no longer," he added. The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company is the parent group of planemaker Airbus and also owns Sogerma and Aerolia, which produce parts of the fuselage, cockpits and plane interiors. Latecoere, which also provides fuselage parts and cable systems, has suffered from the global economic crisis and was looking for a buyer, but said in November it was ready to "contribute actively to a consolidation of the sector." The number two executive at Airbus, Fabrice Bregier, has said in the past however that it was "premature" to consider a tie-up of Aerolia and Latecoere.