Mr Wilhelm said in the release on Monday that next year will be the "right time" to move on, adding that he remains "committed to the performance of the company" and will work with management to ensure a smooth transition to the next CFO. Airbus's board in March sought to assert control over the CEO succession as speculation mounted over whether the company would continue previous practice and appoint a French candidate to replace Mr Enders, who is German, saying it would make the choice known by the year's end but not comment before then. The manufacturer, whose two biggest shareholders are the French and German governments, has hired a consultant to help with the process, and plans to submit the choice to investors at its 2019 annual meeting when Mr Enders, who turns 60 in December, will step down. The succession became clouded when Airbus appointed helicopters chief Guillaume Faury to head the commercial aircraft business, raising the possibility of the group's two top jobs being held by French nationals.