Airbus pledges to remain in the UK post-Brexit

Airbus has around 15,000 employees in the UK

Tom Enders, chief executive officer of Airbus SE, speaks during the annual news conference at the company's headquarters in Toulouse, France, on Thursday, Feb 14. 2018. Airbus said U.S. authorities have asked the airplane maker for information relating to a British and French bribery probe to assess whether any of the alleged misconduct could fall within U.S. jurisdiction. Photographer: Balint Porneczi/Bloomberg
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Airbus chief executive Tom Enders personally promised the UK government the company plans to retain its British operations “long into the future’’ in a turnaround from a staunch critic of the divorce from the European Union.

Enders’s promise was made in a letter this month to Business Secretary Greg Clark, according to an official who declined to be named citing private correspondence. It’s a critical development given how vocal Enders has been in the recent past about condemning Brexit as a threat to manufacturing.

Enders wrote that the aerospace giant would continue to see the UK as a “home country and a competitive place to invest.’’ The “home country” reference is a nod to company’s 15,000 UK employees. That status gives Airbus’s national divisions priority and influence on production and strategy decisions.

The letter comes at a time when UK manufacturers are becoming increasingly jittery about the possible effects of Brexit, including losing access to skilled European workers and increased customs checks on components. A spokesman for Airbus UK couldn’t immediately respond to questions submitted after normal working hours.

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The endorsement by Enders provides a timely boost to Prime Minister Theresa May and adds to her arsenal in making the case that her Brexit deal won’t jeopardize British jobs.

The missive talked about providing “planning stability’’ for thousands of employees working on the A380 program at Airbus facilities in Broughton, northern Wales, and Filton, near Bristol, describing the plants as among its most productive.

Airbus employs 6,000 people in Broughton and another 4,000 in Filton. At least seven countries have seized on Brexit as an opportunity to wrest away Britain’s five-decade dominance of wing construction for Airbus by pitching for a share of the high-value, precision manufacturing work.

France, Germany, and Spain from within the EU, as well as the US, China, Mexico and South Korea, have all approached Airbus regarding future wing work.

While Enders’s letter doesn’t say Britain will be selected to build wings for future aircraft models, his indication that the company sees a long-term future in Britain and intends to increase collaboration with the government on research and development may settle some nerves among its British employees.