Airbus employs 14,000 people in the UK and around 110,000 jobs are connected to the supply chain.
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Airbus chief executive Tom Enders warns the company will leave the UK if the government’s secures a no-deal Brexit.
“It is a disgrace that, more than two years after the result of the 2016 referendum, businesses are still unable to plan properly for the future.
“In a global economy the UK no longer has the capability to go it alone. Major aerospace projects are multinational affairs.”
Airbus employs 14,000 people in the UK and around 110,000 jobs are connected to the supply chain.
As the largest aerospace company in the UK, Airbus generates around £6bn of annual turnover.
Prime Minister Theresa May’s spokesman said: “Airbus said in their statement that the delivery of a pragmatic Withdrawal Agreement that allows for an orderly Brexit is best for Britain.
That is exactly why the Prime Minister has been working so hard to deliver a deal that gives businesses certainty, with an implementation period and an orderly exit.”
A damaging no-deal Brexit
But Airbus fears a no-deal Brexit will damage years of research, education and investment.
According to Mr Enders, the company’s large UK-based sites will not be enough to keep Airbus here.
“Please don’t listen to the Brexiteer’s madness which asserts that ‘because we have huge plants here we will not move and we will always be here’. They are wrong. There are plenty of countries out there who would love to build the wings for Airbus aircraft.”
Airbus not alone
Chief executive of aerospace trade body ADS, Paul Everitt, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that Mr Ender’s views are shared by businesses across the country.
“The introduction of any kind of customs activity or delays at the border fundamentally undermines our competitiveness and adds costs.”
Labour MP Owen Smith, who is campaigning for a second referendum, said: “If companies like Airbus … disinvest in Britain as a consequence of our leaving the EU, the Brexiteers in Parliament should never be forgiven.”
Leave-backing former Brexit minister, David Jones, says Mr Enders’ views will have a great influence on the government.
“I very much hope that people in Brussels will be listening to what he says just as closely as I have no doubt the British Government is doing.”
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HeadlineBrexit handling a “disgrace”, says Airbus chief executive Tom Enders
Short HeadlineBrexit handling a "disgrace" - Airbus chief
Standfirst"In a global economy the UK no longer has the capability to go it alone. Major aerospace projects are multinational affairs," said Mr Enders.
Airbus chief executive Tom Enders warns the company will leave the UK if the government’s secures a no-deal Brexit.
“It is a disgrace that, more than two years after the result of the 2016 referendum, businesses are still unable to plan properly for the future.
“In a global economy the UK no longer has the capability to go it alone. Major aerospace projects are multinational affairs.”
Airbus employs 14,000 people in the UK and around 110,000 jobs are connected to the supply chain.
As the largest aerospace company in the UK, Airbus generates around £6bn of annual turnover.
Prime Minister Theresa May’s spokesman said: “Airbus said in their statement that the delivery of a pragmatic Withdrawal Agreement that allows for an orderly Brexit is best for Britain.
That is exactly why the Prime Minister has been working so hard to deliver a deal that gives businesses certainty, with an implementation period and an orderly exit.”
A damaging no-deal Brexit
But Airbus fears a no-deal Brexit will damage years of research, education and investment.
According to Mr Enders, the company’s large UK-based sites will not be enough to keep Airbus here.
“Please don’t listen to the Brexiteer’s madness which asserts that ‘because we have huge plants here we will not move and we will always be here’. They are wrong. There are plenty of countries out there who would love to build the wings for Airbus aircraft.”
Airbus not alone
Chief executive of aerospace trade body ADS, Paul Everitt, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that Mr Ender’s views are shared by businesses across the country.
“The introduction of any kind of customs activity or delays at the border fundamentally undermines our competitiveness and adds costs.”
Labour MP Owen Smith, who is campaigning for a second referendum, said: “If companies like Airbus … disinvest in Britain as a consequence of our leaving the EU, the Brexiteers in Parliament should never be forgiven.”
Leave-backing former Brexit minister, David Jones, says Mr Enders’ views will have a great influence on the government.
“I very much hope that people in Brussels will be listening to what he says just as closely as I have no doubt the British Government is doing.”
