Airbus confirmed that it had informed prosecutors that some employees may have treated customer documents in an illegal manner.

The documents are related to two German procurement deals involving program line communications, intelligence and security, Airbus said. Airbus turned to the authorities after launching an internal probe with the help of an independent law firm.

"The company fully supports the relevant authorities with their investigation," Airbus said in a statement.

(Reporting by Edward Taylor and Joern Poltz; Editing by Douglas Busvine)