French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin said on Tuesday that cutting 10,000 jobs was part of European aircraft manufacturer Airbus' major restructuring strategy.

The move was envisioned in Airbus' plan, Villepin told RTL radio. But the layoffs should not be compulsory, he said, adding that an answer "must be found for each person."

The prime minister's remarks came after Airbus announced on Monday that its long-awaited restructuring strategy had been postponed, due to a rift between France and Germany over the location of job cuts.

Villepin said that French President Jacques Chirac would discuss the problem with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at a meeting scheduled for Friday.

Airbus has been experiencing a financial crisis following the delay in the delivery of its superjumbo A380. The two-year delay has led to order cancellations and a 4.8 billion euro (6.2 billion U.S. dollars) profit warning.

Airbus received orders for 790 airliners in 2006, for the first time since 2000 it has fallen behind Boeing, which posted orders of 1,050 in the same period.

Source: Xinhua