When looking at the payslip of a CEO from the CAC 40, the fixed salary often represents only a fraction of the total. For Guillaume Faury, head of Airbus since 2019, this is particularly true: his base salary is around 1.4 million euros per year, but the actual compensation is determined elsewhere, in the bonus and performance share mechanisms that can multiply this amount.
Environmental criteria in the compensation of an aerospace CEO
This lever is rarely mentioned when discussing executive salaries. At Airbus, 20% of Guillaume Faury’s annual bonus depends on sustainable development objectives. This is an official figure, taken from the information notice of the 2024 general assembly.
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Specifically, the annual variable component is structured around three blocks: EBIT accounts for 40%, net cash flow for 40%, and the sustainable development block for the remaining 20%. The latter covers the reduction of CO2 emissions and the eco-efficiency of the fleet.
To fully understand the wealth and salary of Guillaume Faury, it is essential to recognize that this environmental weighting directly influences the amount paid each year. A missed climate target, and a significant portion of the bonus disappears.
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This mechanism goes beyond the annual bonus. Since the 2023 annual report, part of the long-term compensation (performance shares) is also conditioned on emission reduction criteria. We are far from a simple CSR display: these objectives have a measurable impact on the executive’s payslip.
Fixed and variable salary of Guillaume Faury: known amounts
Guillaume Faury’s base salary is around 1.4 million euros. This level has remained relatively stable in recent years, with no dramatic increase in the fixed component.
It is the variable part that makes the difference. Annual bonuses depend on Airbus’s financial and operational results. In 2021, for example, the post-pandemic recovery boosted the group’s results, which mechanically increased the overall compensation of the CEO.
The total compensation can be broken down into several layers:
- The fixed salary, close to 1.4 million euros, which serves as a guaranteed base regardless of the economic climate
- The annual variable bonus, linked to EBIT, net cash flow, and sustainable objectives, which can represent a multiple of the fixed
- Performance shares, acquired over several years if financial and climate objectives are met
- Additional benefits (supplementary retirement, insurance, company car), which represent a marginal part of the total
The variable and shares constitute the majority of the effective compensation. The fixed alone gives a distorted picture.
Compensation of the CEO of Airbus compared to the European industrial panel
The most common comparison pits Guillaume Faury against other CEOs of the CAC 40. In 2026, the average compensation of CAC 40 executives is 6.5 million euros, with a 9% decrease year-on-year. Faury falls within this range, without ranking among the highest compensations.
However, Airbus does not only compare itself to French companies. The group’s governance documents specify that the CEO’s compensation is calibrated against a panel of major European industrialists, not just the CAC 40. The compensation committee uses a trans-European benchmark to set the levels.
This distinction matters. Comparing Faury to a luxury or banking CEO makes little sense: the risk profiles, industrial cycles, and margins of the aerospace sector are vastly different. The reference panel includes industrial groups of comparable size, which puts the received amount into perspective.
The Boeing case as a benchmark
In the aerospace sector, the direct competitor remains Boeing. American executives operate within a different compensation system, with packages often higher in absolute value, driven by more generous stock options and a more competitive executive job market in the United States. Faury remains below the levels practiced by major American industrialists.
Shareholder vote on compensation: a concrete indicator
In France, the shareholder vote at the general assembly serves as a real safeguard. Each year, Airbus shareholders vote on the compensation policy and the amounts actually paid to the CEO.
The average voting score in favor of the compensation of CAC 40 executives remains high, indicating majority support. For Airbus, the feedback varies from year to year, but Faury’s package has not triggered any notable shareholder revolt.
What shareholders prioritize:
- The link between the stock performance of Airbus and the compensation paid
- The consistency between operational results (aircraft deliveries, order book) and the level of bonuses
- The transparency of the annual report on each component of the compensation
A well-paid CEO whose results follow has no difficulty passing the shareholder vote. The problem arises when compensation diverges from actual performance.
The aerospace sector remains cyclical, with phases of strong growth (record order book) and slowdowns related to supply chains or geopolitical crises. Guillaume Faury’s compensation reflects this reality: it rises with deliveries and results, and contracts when objectives are not met. It is this direct link between industrial performance and remuneration that structures the entire package, well beyond just the fixed salary figure.