Airbus considers sale of Atlas Elektronik stake; could prompt new bid from Thales
Airbus, the listed European aerospace and defence group, is looking at disposing of its 49% interest in the German submarine equipment company Atlas Elektronik, a newswire report said. Reuters reported that the German Die Welt website said industry sources revealed the sale is under consideration as part of Airbus’s review of its military operations.
A decision will be taken on the matter during the next few months, the report said.
ThyssenKrupp is expected to have first refusal on the stake, the item reported, noting that Airbus (then known as EADS) and the Germany-headquartered conglomerate acquired Atlas Elektronik jointly from BAE Systems nine years ago. Thales of France was an unsuccessful bidder at that time, and could table a fresh bid if Airbus opts to dispose of its stake now, the report said.
ThyssenKrupp, Airbus or Thales did not wish to comment, the report said. It added that Atlas stated the onus to respond to the report was on its owners.
The report did not suggest how much a sale of Atlas Elektronik might be worth, but said the company made EUR 441m sales last year.