Airbus responds to Boris Johnson’s new Brexit deal

A new Brexit deal was agreed yesterday by prime minister Boris Johnson and the EU, and now Airbus has responded saying it "remains concerned."

All 27 EU leaders approved the Brexit deal which was agreed in a settlement between EU negotiators and the UK Government. The deal now needs Parliamentary approval and will voted on this Saturday.

Ahead of this key vote, an Airbus spokesperson commented:

"We remain concerned by a potential ‘no-deal’ and we continue to plan for that scenario as that is the only way any responsible business can plan.

"Airbus continues to run its major Brexit project in order to further eradicate and/or mitigate risks.

"We continue to look for further clarity, and the removal of uncertainty, as soon as possible, so that Airbus can properly plan for the future.

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Airbus is a major employer in the UK with turnover in the country of £6 billion, and therefore the shape of the future EU/UK relationship remains of critical importance for the company.

The aircraft manufacturer employs 13,500 people at two sites in the UK which produce the wings for Airbus aircraft. Filton in South Gloucestershire is where the engineering and design work takes place along with some manufacturing, and the site in Broughton, Wales is where all wing assembly takes place, and other major wing component manufacturing as well.

A new report was recently published by Airbus stating the world’s passenger and freighter aircraft fleet will more than double from today’s 23,000 to almost 48,000 in the next 20 years. Until 2038 the aerospace company predicts a 4.3% annual growth in air traffic, resulting in 39,210 new aircraft needed, with a segment from today’s fleet still remaining.

The company has also been caught up in a US-EU trade war recently when the World Trade Organization found both Boeing and Airbus received billions of pounds in illegal subsidies.

The US has now announced a 10% tariff on Airbus planes, along with a 25% tariff on French wine, Scotch and Irish whiskies, and cheese from across Europe.