EADS (European Aeronautic Defence & Space company) has been repeatedly hitting the headlines recently with delays to its Airbus 380 challenge to Boeing, the release of a profit warning, and shareholder calls for an investigation into possible insider trading.

EADS has an 80% holding in Airbus. The Airbus project started as a France and Germany joint project, over thirty years ago. A Spanish company joined in, and later a UK company - Bae Systems (formerly British Aerospace) - also joined the consortium. The French, German, and Spanish companies went on to form EADS together, holding an 80/20 split of Airbus with Bae Systems.

In April 2006 Bae Systems was reported as ready to sell its 20% stake in Airbus to EADS. In the same month, EADS issued a profit warning to investors. Also in April the executives of EADS had become aware of problems with the Airbus 380. In a radio interview, the Chief Executive Officer of EADS, Noel Forgeard, said:

"The problems of delays were put on the table during April and at the end of May many people still thought it was possible to resolve them. The detailed work reached its conclusions on June 13 and we published them on the same day."

Astrologically, this is a complex scenario to examine, because there are so many birthcharts involved. For example, there are several charts for Airbus, and two main charts for EADS. But one of the key charts is that for the beginning of the Airbus A380 project.

In this chart, the Sun is at 27 degrees 51 minutes of Sagittarius. On 29th March Pluto stationed at 26 degrees 45 minutes of Sagittarius. The station of Pluto was effective for around 3 weeks before and around 3 weeks after the 29th March, putting the April turning points in clear astrological context.

This degree crops up in other Airbus charts, two examples:

~ When Airbus Industrie was founded in 1970 the Sun was at 25 degrees 36 minutes Sagittarius.

~ When Airbus formally became an integrated company, the planetoid Chiron (a company's weak point) was at 24 degrees Sagittarius.

Throughout 2006, 2007, and 2008 Pluto will repeatedly transit the Sun of the Airbus A380, coinciding with what Airbus/EADS hope to be the successful launch of the aeroplane. In astrology Pluto often reflects a project's struggle with threats to its success and continuation, but often things pull through and gain a new lease of life. EADS now needs to work to make that the case.