Airbus CEO says eyes merger of its, BAE's jet fighter units - Sunday Times

LONDON (Reuters) - The chief executive of Airbus <AIR.PA> said he was open to a merger of his firm's jet fighter business with that of BAE Systems <BAES.L>, the Sunday Times reported.

Tom Enders was quoted as saying it was time to "seriously look at consolidating and coalescing efforts eventually to one" and that "there's just no room for three different programmes, not even for two".

His comments raise the prospect of a pan-European military aircraft firm to compete with the United States.

Airbus and BAE Systems were not immediately available to comment.

(Reporting by Alistair Smout; editing by John Stonestreet)