Airbus has threatened to pull out of the UK, warning “any Brexit scenario” will have severe negative consequences for the UK aerospace industry.
The manufacturer on Thursday (June 21) published a risk assessment, exploring the “urgent risks” to its business arising from a “no deal” Brexit.
In Britain, Airbus employs around 15,000 people across 25 sites, but its wider supply chain sustains more than 100,000 jobs.
Its threat to withdraw investment in the UK though, where it builds aircraft wings, places thousands of jobs at risk, The Guardian reports.
The company added while a no-deal Brexit scenario would have “catastrophic” consequences, all manifestations of leaving the European Union would be a blow to the company.
Tom Williams, chief operating officer of Airbus commercial aircraft, said: “In any scenario, Brexit has severe negative consequences for the UK aerospace industry and Airbus in particular.
“Therefore, immediate mitigation measures would need to be accelerated. While Airbus understands that the political process must go on, as a responsible business we require immediate details on the pragmatic steps that should be taken to operate competitively.
“Without these, Airbus believes that the impacts on our UK operations could be significant. We have sought to highlight our concerns over the past 12 months, without success. Put simply, a no deal scenario directly threatens Airbus’ future in the UK.”
Meanwhile, the EU is preparing for a potential “no deal” Brexit scenario.
Addressing Irish MPs and senators in Dublin on Thursday (June 21), president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, said the union must prepare for every eventuality, “including no deal”.