Airbus chief executive Tom Enders: ‘Mobility between our sites in Europe is vital’

Airbus has laid out a string of non-negotiable demands on Brexit, warning it may move production abroad if its terms are not met.

Just days before the government is due to begin talks with the EU, the aerospace giant’s chief operating officer has set “minimum” conditions on free movement of workers, trade tariffs and regulatory conditions.

Business leaders are stepping up their Brexit-related demands following the election result, widely interpreted as a rebuke to Theresa May’s plans for a “hard Brexit”.

Airbus’s demands revolve around the movement of staff and tariffs on parts ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/GETTY

Airbus designs and builds wings for roughly half the world’s aircraft in Filton, near Bristol, and Broughton, north Wales. The two sites have about 10,000 staff and the company claims to support 100,000 British jobs.

While current projects, such as work on the best-selling