Airbus agrees to settle corruption probes with U.S., France, UK

Airbus has agreed in principle to settle an investigation into allegations of bribery and corruption.

British and French authorities looked into the European planemaker for suspected corruption over jet sales dating back more than a decade.

Airbus also faced U.S. investigations over suspected violations of export controls.

The planemaker said it couldn't comment on precise details of the settlements - and wouldn't reveal how much it expected to pay out.

Some press reports suggested a figure of around $3.3 billion.

Airbus shares took off on the update - up around 2.3% in early trade - as investors reacted positively to Airbus drawing a line under the affair.

Airbus has already fired more than 100 people over ethics and compliance issues after its own probe into the allegations.

British and French regulators were first alerted just over three years ago when Airbus made inaccurate declarations over payments to sales agents.

A German probe into Airbus for potential misuse of client documents is ongoing.