EADS and BAE shares rose 2-3 percent on Tuesday, clawing back a small proportion of losses since talks became public.

The merger plan, however, won a vote of confidence from one of the industry’s harshest critics, the chief executive of Qatar Airways who has frequently berated Airbus and Boeing over development delays and design decisions.

Noting that the merger would re-unite Airbus and BAE, Akbar Al Baker said: “It will make them strong”.

BAE sold a 20 percent stake in Airbus in 2006. Since then commercial jet sales have soared and defense has stagnated.

“They’re coming back together because staying apart was not in their best interest. They can provide better products and customer service together,” Al Baker told reporters in Doha.

(Additional reporting by Sophie Sassard, Jason Neely, editing by Peter Millership)