Airbus CEO weighs in for Macron in France's presidential election

In a letter dated April 24 and published by the French newspaper l'Opinion, Enders said he was pleased Macron had made Europe and the Franco-German relationship a priority.

"This is a fundamental issue for a company like ours," Enders, referring to Airbus, whose foundation lies in European cooperation.

A spokesman with Airbus confirmed the authenticity of the document, adding it was a personal one that had not been intended for publication.

Germany's Enders came out in favor of Britain staying in the European Union and wrote to employees to ask them to vote in the last European elections, drawing criticism from unions.

Polls predict Macron, a former economy minister, will win the May 7 run-off with about 59 to 60 percent of the vote. But the momentum has recently shifted to Le Pen, who has clawed back about five percentage points over the past week.

(Reporting by Matthias Blamont, Tim Hepher, editing by Larry King)