Airbus is an Aerospace group, so apart from commercial aircraft, the company also manufactures military aircraft, helicopters, satellites, and aircraft parts, among other products. The job of the CEO at Airbus is a highly contested and important one, given its status as one of the major European aerospace companies and its role as a representation of European aerospace capabilities.
Airbus has had Guillaume Faury as its CEO since 2019. He succeeded Tom Enders. Previously, Guillaume Faury was the Chief Executive Officer of Airbus Helicopters (2013-2018), and then went on to lead the commercial aircraft business, the largest division at Airbus, in 2018.
Christian Scherer was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Commercial Aircraft business of Airbus in January 2024. Previously, he served as Airbus’s Chief Commercial Officer, Head of Airbus International from 2018 under Faury. He also headed to ATR, the JV of Airbus with Leonardo to manufacture turboprop aircraft for two years, as its CEO. Scherer has been with Airbus since 1984 and is now nearing retirement.
Lars Wagner to arrive as CEO for Airbus Commercial Aircraft Business in January 2026
In October 2024, the Airbus Board of Directors decided to appoint Lars Wagner, currently the CEO of MTU Aero Engines AG, based in Munich, as the successor to Christian Scherer as CEO of the Commercial Aircraft business.
At the time, Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury had said,
Christian and I are excited to have Lars Wagner, such a talented industry leader, coming back to the Airbus family in this key role. Christian remains at the helm of the Commercial Aircraft business, supported by a great team, until the transition to Lars. Christian and I will continue to work closely together for the success of Airbus in the dynamic and complex environment we are operating in.
Yesterday, Airbus announced the appointment, following the shareholders’ approval of Lars’ name at the company’s Annual General Meeting. Lars Wagner will join the Airbus Executive Committee and succeed Christian Scherer as CEO of the Commercial Aircraft business, effective January 1, 2026.
Lars Wagner will join Airbus from the beginning of November 2025 to ensure a smooth transition with Christian Scherer. Christian remains CEO of the Commercial Aircraft business until December 31, 2025, topping a career spanning over 40 years in several executive roles with Airbus.
Lars Wagner, 50, has served as CEO of MTU Aero Engines AG since January 2023. Before he was appointed CEO and since joining MTU in 2015, Lars has notably assumed the roles of Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President in charge of OEM operations. He previously held several management positions at Airbus, including in Bremen, Hamburg, and Toulouse. Lars has a degree in mechanical and aeronautical engineering as well as an MBA.
Key Challenges for Wagner
Needless to say, “Supply Chain” is going to be one of the key challenges for the future CEO of Airbus Commercial Aircraft, particularly in the face of rising demand, where customers want their aircraft delivered on time but often do not receive them. Airbus has performed significantly better than Boeing in the face of increasing demand, but the shortage of components is an issue across the industry, not just at Boeing.
The other central question for Wagner will be the A220-500, also known as the Stretch variant of the A220 aircraft. The A220 was purchased from Bombardier in 2018, and it has offered models -100 and -300 so far. The -500 will directly compete with Airbus’ A320 series, if it is ever made, and hence is a significant question. Scherer believed in the aircraft having a -500 variant, but we don’t know what Wagner thinks about it.
Also, if Airbus is still interested in the Sustainable Aviation space or not is an open question as well for now.
Bottomline
Lars Wagner will return to Airbus as the CEO of the Commercial Aircraft Division, the company’s cash cow. He will rejoin the firm in November 2025 for a couple of months of transition before Scherer retires from the company at the end of the year, and will become the CEO of the business on January 1, 2026.
What do you think of the new CEO Designate of Airbus Commercial Aircraft?
Liked our articles and our efforts? Please pay an amount you are comfortable with; an amount you believe is the fair price for the content you have consumed. Please enter an amount in the box below and click on the button to pay; you can use Netbanking, Debit/Credit Cards, UPI, QR codes, or any Wallet to pay. Every contribution helps cover the cost of the content generated for your benefit.
(Important: to receive confirmation and details of your transaction, please enter a valid email address in the pop-up form that will appear after you click the ‘Pay Now’ button. For international transactions, use Paypal to process the transaction.)
We are not putting our articles behind any paywall where you are asked to pay before you read an article. We are asking you to pay after you have read the article if you are satisfied with the quality and our efforts.
Leave a Reply