Airbus may leave UK if no Brexit deal

Aviation giant says its future in UK will be in peril sans pact

Aviation giant Airbus has warned it could pull out of Britain if it leaves the European Union without a deal, upping the pressure on Friday on Prime Minister Theresa May to make progress in Brexit negotiations with Brussels.

The European group, which directly employs nearly 15,000 people, warned that crashing out of the bloc would be “catastrophic” and force it to consider its investments.

“Put simply, a ‘ no deal’ scenario directly threatens Airbus’ future in the UK,” said chief operating officer Tom Williams.

May’s government holds out the possibility of walking away as a negotiating tactic, but says she expects to get a deal before it exits the bloc on March 29 next year.

“We have made significant progress towards agreeing a deep and special partnership with the EU to ensure trade remains as free and frictionless as possible, including in the aerospace sector,” a spokeswoman said.

However, talks are stalled on the issue of the Irish border and Britain’s indecision over what it wants.

EU leaders, who will meet May at a summit next week, have warned that time is running out, while Brussels has urged them to step up preparations for no deal.

Britain intends to leave the EU’s single market and customs union to forge its own independent trade policy and end free movement of labour.

In a Brexit risk assessment, Airbus said if plans for a transition deal failed and this break happened in March, it “would lead to severe disruption”.