European aircraft maker Airbus said Friday it had sold its plant at Laupheim in Germany to German armaments company Diehl and its partner Thales, according to dpa. No details were provided on the financial details of the sale, which is effective from October 1 and is subject to competition authority approval. Diehl, based in Nuremberg in the southern German state of Bavaria, is to hold 51 per cent of the company, while French defence concern Thales holds the rest. Laupheim employs around 1,100 workers and has an annual turnover of around 240 million euros (375 million dollars). The plant makes components for cabins, emergency lighting and controls for aircraft doors. Airbus chief executive Tom Enders said the sale was a significant element in the implementation of the Power8 programme aimed at cutting costs at Airbus. The subsidiary of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) ran into problems as a result of a two-year delay in its A380 superjumbo programme.
