Companies Airbus slams Trump’s protectionist policies — but says Brexit is even worse BL PREMIUM

London — Airbus CEO Tom Enders slammed Brexit and US President Donald Trump’s pro-America trade policies as presenting twin threats to its business, while singling out the UK’s vote to leave the EU as posing the bigger issue. The developments amount to a "double whammy" of protectionist hazards, Enders said in London at the annual dinner of the ADS trade association, which represents more than 1,000 aerospace, defence, security and space companies. Brexit will weaken British industry and aerospace manufacturing in particular by increasing costs and curtailing competitiveness, the CEO said late on Monday. While Airbus will seek to mitigate the impact on its business, "whatever we can do, the net result, I’m afraid, will be negative", he said. The France-based company has 25 sites in the UK, including its main wing design and production facilities, while the wider supply chain extends to 672 sites and more than 5,000 "links or relations" in commercial aviation alone, Enders said. Thou...