The chief executive of EADS’ Airbus subsidiary, Gustav Humbert, has also stood down. Mr Forgeard quit as he also faced intense pressure in the wake of an insider trading scandal.
Mr Forgeard will be replaced by Louis Gallois, the boss of France's state-owned SNCF rail company. Mr Humbert’s successor is Christian Streiff, a former top executive for the French glass manufacturer Saint Gobain.
Mr Forgeard’s resignation follows revelations that he sold EADS shares worth millions of dollars, just before the group announced that deliveries of its Airbus A380 superjumbo would be delayed.
News of the delays wiped A$9.46 billion off EADS's shares and pushed Airbus into the wake of US rival Boeing.