Airbus has confirmed it is considering cutting thousands of jobs in the UK as it starts to “press the button on crisis actions” over concerns about Brexit.
The company said it could ditch plans to build aircraft wings in British factories over concerns that EU regulations will no longer apply from March 2019 and uncertainty over customs procedures, instead opting to transfer production to North America, China or elsewhere in the EU.
Airbus, which directly employs 14,000 people at 25 sites in Britain and supports more than 100,000 jobs in the wider supply chain, also said a no-deal scenario would lead to “catastrophic” consequences , which could cost the company billions of pounds in delays. The firm also said it was considering stockpiling billions of pounds of parts to prepare for Brexitdisruption.
On BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Tom Williams, the chief operating officer of Airbus Commercial Aircraft, was asked if the company was planning to abandon its plans to build new wings in the UK. He replied: “We are seriously considering whether we should continue that development or we should find alternate solutions.”
Asked how many jobs were at risk, Williams pointed out that Airbus generates 100,000 jobs in the UK, including 14,000 directly employed by the company.
Williams repeatedly called on the government to provide more detail about trading arrangements under Brexit and said the lack clarity was forcing its hand.
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