Airbus Appoints Amparo Moraleda as Board Chair in 2026

Global – Airbus has appointed Amparo Moraleda as its next Board Chair — the first time in the European aerospace manufacturer's more than 50-year history that the role has been held by someone who is neither French nor German — as shareholders approved all resolutions at the company's 2026 Annual General Meeting in Amsterdam on 14 April.

• Effective 1 October 2026, René Obermann will step down from his position as Chair of the Board. Amparo Moraleda has been designated by the Board to succeed him as Chair on this date. Obermann joined the Airbus Board in 2018 and became Chair in 2020, steering the company through the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions, and a worsening geopolitical environment.
• France and Germany each hold 10.8% of Airbus, with Spain holding 4.1%; the appointment of a Spanish national to the Chair role marks a significant shift in a governance structure long dominated by the two principal shareholder states.
• An industrial engineer by training, Moraleda previously served as COO of Iberdrola's international division and General Manager of IBM Spain and Portugal; she currently holds board positions at A.P. Moller-Maersk, CaixaBank, and Vodafone.
• Additional AGM resolutions included renewal of Board mandates for Non-Executive Members Mark Dunkerley, Stephan Gemkow, and Antony Wood for three-year terms. Henriette Hallberg Thygesen, CEO of Danish defence and aerospace company Terma A/S, was appointed as a Non-Executive Member for a three-year term, and Oliver Zipse, Chairman of BMW AG, was appointed for a one-year initial term.
• Airbus delivered 114 commercial aircraft in Q1 2026.
• Airbus booked 331 new orders in March 2026 alone, pushing its backlog to a record 9,037 aircraft.

Statements

• "It has been an honour and a privilege to serve Airbus for nearly a decade, during a period that has constantly tested the resilience of the entire Company, while also demonstrating the collective strength of Team Airbus. The Company has established itself as a leader in civil aviation, including helicopters, and has successfully reshaped its Defence and Space division. I am thankful to our shareholders and customers for placing their trust in Airbus during this time. I am confident in the Company's future financial performance and industrial trajectory, with a highly experienced Board, a strong management team and a highly committed team of 165,000 colleagues," said René Obermann, outgoing Chair, Airbus.
• "I am grateful to the Board for their trust and look forward to working with René over the coming months to ensure a smooth succession. I would like to commend him for his diligent stewardship on the Board during a period marked by major crises, most notably the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions and a worsening geopolitical environment. My commitment to serving the Company and its shareholders is total. I will work closely with my fellow Board members and the management team to ensure that Airbus is well equipped to address the many challenges and opportunities stemming from the rapid changes in our global environment," said Amparo Moraleda, incoming Chair, Airbus.

Source: Airbus