PARIS — Airbus (AIRBUS.SE) Chief Executive Tom Enders has warned staff of "turbulent and confusing times" amid French and U.K. anti-bribery and corruption investigations and urged them to support the aerospace group's top management and the board.

In a letter to 130,000 staff on Friday, Enders defended the decision to report anomalies to U.K. authorities, which had triggered the probes, and said he and general counsel John Harrison had the board's backing to see the process through.

The investigations could however lead to "significant penalties" against the group, he said, according to a text of the letter obtained by Reuters.

Airbus declined to comment.