TOULOUSE (Bloomberg) — Airbus SAS plans to reorganise operations on an international basis to eliminate inefficiencies as the company struggles to maintain a lead in commercial-aircraft manufacturing over Boeing Co."This new, simplified and streamlined organisation aims at better integrating and rationalising the company on a trans-national basis," Airbus said yesterday in an e-mailed statement. The plane-maker will create four operational centres across French, German, UK and Spanish national divisions.

The new organisation is part of a cost-cutting plan that aims to cut 10,000 jobs over four years and sell or find partners for six factories so Airbus can move beyond a financial crisis sparked by delays in the A380 superjumbo jet and the difficulties of selling airplanes in dollars when the currency has lost 30 percent against the euro since 2001.

"The objective is to make Airbus a real architect and integrator in airliner development, manufacturing and support," chief executive officer Louis Gallois said in the statement.

Airbus said its management met with members of its European works council yesterday and with its French unions today to explain the plan and win support. The company is also discussing the changes with German, UK and Spanish unions.