Guillaume Faury

Guillaume Faury
Faury in 2023
Guillaume Faury
Born	22 2, 1968
Birthplace	Cherbourg-Octeville, France
Nationality	French
Occupation	Aerospace executive, engineer
Title	CEO of Airbus SE (2019–present)
Known for	CEO of Airbus SE
Education	École polytechnique Supaéro IAE Aix-en-Provence, Aix-Marseille University
Spouse(s)	Maria Faury
Children	3
Website	[Airbus corporate governance Official site]

Guillaume Faury (Template:IPA-fr; born 22 February 1968) is a French engineer and business executive who has served as the chief executive officer (CEO) of Airbus SE and chairman of its civil aircraft division, Airbus SAS, since April 2019. Born in Cherbourg-Octeville, France, Faury rose through the ranks of the European aerospace industry over a career spanning more than two decades, holding senior positions at Eurocopter (later Airbus Helicopters) and within Airbus's commercial aircraft division before being appointed to lead the multinational corporation. A graduate of two of France's most prestigious engineering institutions, École polytechnique and Supaéro, Faury brought a strong technical background combined with managerial experience to the helm of Europe's largest aerospace company. His appointment came at a pivotal moment for Airbus, as the company sought to move past a period of corporate turmoil related to corruption probes and leadership changes. Under Faury's leadership, Airbus has navigated supply chain disruptions, the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on aviation, and ongoing strategic decisions concerning production rates, new technologies, and European defense programs including the Future Combat Air System (FCAS).

Early Life

Guillaume Faury was born on 22 February 1968 in Cherbourg-Octeville, a port city on the Cotentin Peninsula in Normandy, northwestern France. Details about his family background and childhood have not been extensively documented in public sources. Faury grew up in France and pursued an education focused on engineering and the sciences, a path that would eventually lead him to the upper echelons of the European aerospace industry.

Education

Faury's academic credentials reflect a trajectory through some of France's most competitive and respected institutions of higher learning. He attended the École polytechnique, one of France's grandes écoles and among the most selective engineering schools in the country, known for producing leaders in science, industry, and government. He subsequently studied at Supaéro (now part of the Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace, or ISAE-SUPAERO), France's foremost aerospace engineering school, located in Toulouse. This dual engineering formation provided Faury with deep technical expertise in aeronautics and aerospace systems. Later in his career, Faury also pursued management studies at the IAE Aix-en-Provence, a graduate school of management at Aix-Marseille University, supplementing his engineering background with formal business and leadership training. This combination of elite engineering and management education has been noted by industry observers as a distinguishing feature of his professional profile.

Career

Early Career and Eurocopter

Faury began his career in the French defense sector. According to his official Airbus biography, he initially worked as a flight test engineer, gaining hands-on experience with aircraft systems and performance evaluation. He entered the helicopter industry and rose through management positions at Eurocopter, the Franco-German helicopter manufacturer that was a subsidiary of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS), the predecessor entity of Airbus Group.

Faury served as CEO of Eurocopter (which was rebranded as Airbus Helicopters in January 2014) from 2013. In this role, he oversaw the operations of the world's largest helicopter manufacturer, managing a portfolio of civil and military rotorcraft programs and a global workforce. His tenure at the helicopter division was marked by efforts to modernize the product line, improve industrial efficiency, and strengthen the division's competitive position in both civil and military markets.

Head of Airbus Commercial Aircraft

In February 2018, Faury was appointed president of Airbus Commercial Aircraft, the company's largest division by revenue, succeeding Fabrice Brégier. This appointment placed him in charge of the division responsible for the A220, A320, A330, A350, and A380 families of commercial airliners. Industry analysts noted at the time that Faury's strong technical credentials, combined with his experience running a major business unit at Airbus Helicopters, made him a natural fit for the commercial aircraft leadership role.

His period as head of commercial aircraft was brief but served as a proving ground. Faury took charge of the division during a period of record production rate increases, particularly for the best-selling Airbus A320neo family, and amid an industry-wide challenge of managing complex global supply chains. His performance in this role was a key factor in his subsequent selection as CEO of the entire Airbus group.

Appointment as CEO of Airbus SE

On 8 October 2018, the Airbus Board of Directors announced the selection of Guillaume Faury as the future CEO of Airbus SE, succeeding Tom Enders, who had announced his intention not to seek a renewal of his contract. Faury officially assumed the role of CEO on 10 April 2019. The leadership transition came at a sensitive time for Airbus. The company had been dealing with the fallout from corruption and bribery investigations by French, British, and American authorities related to the use of intermediaries in aircraft sales, a matter that would eventually be resolved in January 2020 with a record settlement of approximately €3.6 billion.

Upon taking office, Faury faced a range of strategic decisions. Aviation Week noted that the new CEO confronted questions about production rates for the A320neo family, the future of the A380 super-jumbo (which Airbus had already announced it would discontinue), the long-term strategy for widebody aircraft, and the company's growing role in defense and space.

Navigating the COVID-19 Pandemic

Shortly after settling into his role, Faury faced the unprecedented challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought the global aviation industry to a near-standstill beginning in early 2020. Airlines around the world grounded fleets, deferred or cancelled orders, and faced existential financial pressures. As CEO, Faury led Airbus through a drastic reduction in production rates—cutting A320 family output by roughly one-third—while working to preserve the company's workforce and supply chain. He implemented cost-reduction measures across the group and managed a careful balance between short-term survival and preserving the industrial capability needed for an eventual recovery.

FlightGlobal reported that Faury's approach during the pandemic focused on protecting Airbus's long-term position, maintaining investment in new technologies and production capabilities even as the company absorbed significant revenue declines. He communicated a message of cautious optimism about the aviation industry's recovery, arguing that air travel demand would return and that Airbus needed to be prepared to ramp up production when it did.

Production Ramp-Up and Supply Chain Challenges

As the aviation industry recovered from the pandemic, Faury oversaw Airbus's efforts to increase production rates to meet a surge in demand for new, fuel-efficient aircraft, particularly the A320neo family. The ramp-up, however, proved to be constrained not by demand but by supply. Engine manufacturers, in particular, struggled to meet delivery schedules, creating bottlenecks that limited Airbus's ability to deliver finished aircraft on time.

In February 2026, during Airbus's full-year earnings call, Faury publicly criticized engine supplier Pratt & Whitney (a division of RTX Corporation) over delivery shortfalls. He stated that Pratt & Whitney's engine delivery outlook for 2026 was "significantly behind their previous commitments," a situation that directly affected Airbus's ability to deliver A320neo family aircraft powered by the PW1000G geared turbofan engine. Aviation Week reported that Faury used the earnings presentation to sharply criticize Pratt & Whitney's performance, reflecting growing frustration within Airbus over the supply chain situation.

Airbus forecast 870 aircraft deliveries for 2026, a figure that fell below analyst expectations and contributed to a decline of approximately 6% in the company's share price following the announcement. Faury acknowledged the situation, stating, "We have an unsatisfactory situation with less engines than" needed, underscoring how engine supply constraints continued to limit the company's output despite strong order backlogs.

Defense and the FCAS Program

Under Faury's leadership, Airbus has been a central participant in the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), a multibillion-euro defense program involving France, Germany, and Spain to develop a next-generation fighter jet and associated unmanned systems to eventually replace the Dassault Rafale and the Eurofighter Typhoon. Airbus represents the German and Spanish industrial interests in the program, while Dassault Aviation leads the French pillar.

The FCAS program has been marked by significant disagreements between Dassault and Airbus over workshare, intellectual property, and design leadership. By February 2026, these tensions had intensified. Faury indicated that Airbus was open to a "two-fighter option" for the FCAS program to keep the broader initiative alive, suggesting that Airbus could develop a separate fighter aircraft alongside Dassault rather than continuing with a deadlocked single-platform approach. "The deadlock of a single pillar should not jeopardize the entire future of this high-tech European capability," Airbus stated in connection with Faury's position.

In comments reported by Reuters on 20 February 2026, Faury went further, stating that Airbus was "capable of developing a fighter jet alone" if necessary, while expressing hope that the European partners could continue to work together. The statement signaled Airbus's growing confidence in its defense capabilities and willingness to pursue independent development if the trilateral framework continued to stall. Reports indicated that Airbus would support a proposal to build two new European fighters if the participating countries agreed to such an approach.

Technology and Decarbonization Strategy

Faury has positioned Airbus as a leader in aviation decarbonization efforts. Under his leadership, the company has publicly committed to developing hydrogen-powered aircraft and other low-emission technologies. FlightGlobal noted that even during the pandemic, Faury maintained investment in future technologies, viewing the crisis as an opportunity to accelerate the transition toward more sustainable aviation. The company launched its ZEROe concept aircraft program, exploring hydrogen combustion and fuel cell propulsion for potential entry into service by the mid-2030s.

Personal Life

Guillaume Faury is married to Maria Faury, and the couple have three children. Faury maintains a relatively low public profile outside of his professional activities. In December 2022, Faury was among the guests invited to a state dinner hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House in honor of French President Emmanuel Macron, reflecting his status as a prominent figure in Franco-American business relations and the transatlantic aerospace industry.

Faury is a member of the European Round Table for Industry (ERT), an organization comprising chief executives and chairs of major European multinational companies that engages with European Union institutions on competitiveness and industrial policy.

Recognition

Faury's role as CEO of Airbus places him at the head of one of Europe's largest and most strategically important industrial companies. His invitation to the December 2022 White House state dinner for the French president highlighted his prominence in transatlantic business circles.

The Times of London conducted a profile interview with Faury, describing him as Airbus's leader navigating the company through challenging conditions in the aerospace industry. Industry publications including Aviation Week, FlightGlobal, and CNBC have regularly covered his strategic decisions and public statements, reflecting his significance as a voice for the European aerospace sector.

His combination of technical engineering background with business leadership experience has been cited by FlightGlobal as a defining characteristic of his approach to managing Airbus, distinguishing him as a CEO who is conversant in both the engineering detail and the commercial strategy of the aviation business.

Legacy

As of 2026, Guillaume Faury remains in his position as CEO of Airbus SE, and an assessment of his full legacy is ongoing. However, several defining themes of his tenure have emerged. He took charge of Airbus at a moment when the company needed to move beyond the reputational damage of the corruption settlement and establish a new era of governance and strategic direction. The COVID-19 pandemic presented the most severe crisis in the history of commercial aviation, and Faury's management of Airbus through that period—preserving the company's industrial base while preparing for recovery—has been viewed as a significant test of his leadership.

The post-pandemic period has brought its own set of challenges, particularly the difficulty of ramping up production amid persistent supply chain constraints. Faury's public confrontation with engine suppliers over delivery shortfalls in 2026 illustrated the complexities of managing a global aerospace supply chain and the limits of any single manufacturer's ability to control its output.

On the defense side, Faury's willingness to consider alternative architectures for the FCAS program, including a potential two-fighter approach, reflects a pragmatic stance on European defense industrial cooperation. His assertion that Airbus could develop a fighter jet independently, if necessary, marked a notable moment in European defense politics and industrial strategy.

Faury's emphasis on decarbonization and hydrogen technology has positioned Airbus at the forefront of the aviation industry's response to climate change, though the commercial viability and timeline of these technologies remain subjects of ongoing industry debate.