Aircraft
Airbus Preparing for ‘Worst’ Brexit Outcome
As the European airframer breaks ground on an A220 plant in Alabama, anxiety about its supply of UK-made parts intensifies.
Airbus CEO Tom Enders. (Photo: Airbus)
Airbus CEO Tom Enders. (Photo: Airbus)

Questions about Airbus’s strategy in the event of a so-called no-deal Brexit largely overshadowed Wednesday’s groundbreaking ceremony marking the start of construction of the Airbus A220 assembly site in Mobile, Alabama. The event followed the crushing defeat in the UK parliament of British prime minister Theresa May’s plan for a negotiated “soft” exit from the European Union. Speaking at a press briefing ahead of the event, Airbus CEO Tom Enders lamented recent trends toward protectionism and nationalism and referenced the development of Airbus’s presence in the U.S. as a hedge against such inclinations.