EADS holds a board meeting.

Two weeks ahead of the group’s annual shareholders meeting, scheduled for May 26 in Amsterdam, the board of EADS meets today. Several topics should be discussed, reports Le Figaro Economie: the group’s quarterly results to be unveiled tomorrow, in a context of weak dollar and high fuel prices; the reinforcement of Power 8, after EADS dropped its Zephyr plant sale programme; the development of the A350 XWB programme, which Airbus will have to assume alone, in consequence; and the progress of the A380 superjumbo, amid rumours of a fourth delivery delay. Aujourd’hui en France goes back over the letter sent by Thomas Enders to Airbus’s employees, which was unveiled by Les Echos last week. Several scenarios are under study at the plane maker to improve its plants’ efficiency, including longer working hours and massive relocation of work outside the euro area. On Friday, an Airbus spokesman confirmed that a plan to expand working hours at the Airbus factories was under study. He added that additional measures to Power 8 were precisely meant to avoid a delay to the A350 XWB development schedule. Yet, he qualified as “speculation” the information that Airbus was seeking to relocate a large amount of production to finance the development of the new aircraft. AFP (09/05), Le Figaro Economie, Aujourd’hui en France (10/05), Marianne (10/05), L’Humanite, Hamburger Abendblatt (10/05)