A grey metal box in the North Wales countryside is home to the jewel of Britain’s aerospace industry.
Airbus’s factory in Broughton, Flintshire, is where the pan-European aerospace and defence group manufactures all the wings for its commercial aircraft. The well-paid jobs, cutting-edge technology and headline-grabbing products are highly prized – by Britain, and by other Airbus factories around Europe.
Airbus has long fought off green-eyed advances from its plants in Toulouse, Hamburg and elsewhere, which are keen to wrest wing production from Britain’s clutches. But there are concerns that the vote to leave the European Union has weakened Britain’s grip on this precious gem.
High-tech manufacturers such as Dyson have dismissed concerns that extra tariffs and possible delays at borders after Brexit will hinder trade.
That may be true for independent businesses but less so for foreign-owned companies that are part of supply chains across the EU, from the car industry to pharmaceuticals, plastics and, crucially, aerospace where politics plays such an important role.
Britain has maintained its slice of the Airbus pie as long as it has been a large net contributor to the EU budget. Without that leverage, there must be a question mark over future investment.
Paul Everitt, the chief executive of ADS, the trade body for the aerospace, defence, security and space sectors, said: “We are concerned that there could be a long-term erosion of Britain’s competitiveness and that big projects will not be allocated to the UK. We are
Article source: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/sep/03/britain-aerospace-sector-could-be-priced-out-after-brexit
