German Airbus plants are more productive than the planemaker’s operations in France or Spain, German weekly Focus reported Sunday, citing an internal Airbus study. The report comes amid fears that the troubled planemaker could cut several thousand jobs in Germany after it announced concrete measures for its restructuring program termed Power 8, Feb. 20.

The study compared productivity of 18 European Airbus plants on eight different levels, the magazine said.

According to the report, Airbus’ Broughton, U.K., plant leads the productivity ranking, followed by two German plants in Hamburg and Bremen and overall productivity is higher in Germany than in French operations.

Airbus is a unit of European Aeronautic Defense & Space NV.

Economics Minister Michael Glos said that Germany will use its political clout to keep as many jobs in the country as possible, in an interview with German weekly Bild am Sonntag published Sunday, repeating similar statements made by Chancellor Angela Merkel Saturday.

Glos also warned that Germany could withdraw orders it has with EADS.

Friday, thousands of Airbus workers in Germany staged protests over fears that as many as 8,000 jobs could be cut.

German weekly Der Spiegel said Merkel planned to meet EADS head Louis Gallois to push her nation’s cause, before the company’s Feb. 20 release of restructuring plans, which however wasn’t confirmed by a spokeswoman.
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