Airbus, Thales considering merging some space activities, FT reports

Airbus (EADSY) and Thales (TCSFY) are exploring a tie-up of some of the companies’ space activities, The Financial Times’ Sylvia Pfeifer and Peggy Hollinger report. According to two people familiar with the situation, the exploratory talks are focused on the companies’ satellite activities, with an aim to create a pan-European alliance in space similar to that of MBDA. Any agreement would, however, face significant regulatory and antitrust hurdles, the people note, adding that Airbus and Thales had explored similar tie-ups in recent years, most recently in 2019.