When looking at the payslip of a CEO in the aerospace sector, the fixed amount is just the visible part. For Guillaume Faury, who has been at the helm of Airbus since 2019, the actual compensation is built on several layers: a base salary, a variable component linked to annual results, performance shares, and additional benefits. Understanding what the CEO of Airbus really earns means dismantling this mechanism piece by piece.
Structure of the CEO’s Compensation at Airbus: Fixed, Variable, and Shares
Guillaume Faury’s fixed salary represents only a fraction of his total compensation. At Airbus, as in most major listed companies, the variable component serves as the main lever.
According to the information notice published by Airbus for the 2024 general assembly, the annual variable compensation of the CEO is based on weighted criteria: EBIT at 40%, net cash flow at 40%, and sustainability objectives at 20%. This breakdown is not decorative. It concretely means that if operating margins decline or cash generation disappoints, the bonus can drop significantly.
The general assembly documents contain data regarding Guillaume Faury’s salary and wealth as disclosed by the group each year. The transparency required of listed companies in the Netherlands (where Airbus SE is headquartered) mandates the detailed publication of these elements.
In addition, there are performance shares, granted based on results over several years. Their value depends on the Airbus stock price at the time of final acquisition, which directly ties part of the compensation to the group’s stock performance.
Performance Criteria and Annual Objectives at Airbus
We often hear about “bonuses” for executives, but the term is misleading. At Airbus, the CEO’s variable compensation is not a discretionary supplement. It is calculated according to a precise grid, validated at the general assembly by shareholders.
The three selected criteria deserve attention:
- Adjusted EBIT measures operational profitability. A delivery delay on the A320, cost overruns on a space program: all of this directly impacts this criterion, and thus the variable component.
- Net cash flow reflects the group’s ability to generate cash after investments. In aerospace, where cycles are long and customer deposits are massive, cash flow is a more telling indicator than revenue.
- Sustainability objectives, weighted at 20%, incorporate environmental commitments specific to the sector (decarbonization, sustainable fuels). Their share remains minority, but their presence signals a recent evolution in the compensation policy.
The board of directors sets a target level and a ceiling each year. If results exceed the objectives, the variable can rise to a predefined maximum, without exceeding it. If results fall below the minimum threshold, the variable component can drop to zero.
Airbus Executive Compensation Amid Internal Salary Tensions
One cannot discuss what Guillaume Faury earns without mentioning the social context at Airbus. Since 2024, the Toulouse sites have experienced several social movements (strikes, gatherings) around salary demands.
Unions point to a gap between the group’s financial results and the profit-sharing bonuses paid to employees, which are deemed to be declining. Letters signed by Guillaume Faury have been regularly cited in union communications as symbols of this tension.
Gap Between Management and Employees in Aerospace
This type of friction is not unique to Airbus. Across the entire CAC 40, the ratio between executive compensation and the median salary of employees is receiving increasing attention. Airbus’s annual reports publish this ratio, in accordance with regulatory obligations.
What makes the Airbus case particular is the conjunction of two factors: full order books (the A320 remains the global best-seller in commercial aviation) and a perception of insufficient redistribution to employees despite these performances. The demands particularly focus on general increases indexed to inflation, a topic that arises in every negotiation cycle.
Guillaume Faury’s Career and Roles Beyond Airbus
Guillaume Faury is not just the CEO of Airbus. He holds several positions that expand his influence in the sector.
Since 2021, he has been the president of GIFAS (Groupement des industries françaises aéronautiques et spatiales). Since June 2023, he has also held the presidency of ASD (Aerospace and Defence Industries Association of Europe). These roles are not compensated in the same way as an executive mandate, but they reflect a central positioning in European industrial governance.
His career before Airbus includes Eurocopter (now Airbus Helicopters), where he held operational positions before taking over the helicopter division. This industrial trajectory, rather than financial, distinguishes his profile from that of many CAC 40 executives who come from banking or consulting backgrounds.
Fortune ranked Guillaume Faury among the most influential figures in the business world in 2025, a signal that goes beyond just the salary issue and reflects the strategic weight of Airbus in European defense and civil aerospace.
Guillaume Faury’s compensation remains a topic that resurfaces every spring, during the vote at the general assembly. Shareholders have a binding vote (say on pay) on the compensation policy. In practice, approval rates remain high, but internal debates within the group do not diminish.