Airbus has warned it could leave the UK if a transitional deal is not reached before the country exits the European Union next year.

The warning follows a risk assessment carried out by Airbus on the possible impacts of Brexit without a withdrawal agreement on its business.

According to the assessment, the UK leaving the EU without a deal means the country is leaving both the single market and customs union immediately and without any agreed transition. This could severely disrupt and interrupt production across the UK.

If this scenario occurs, Airbus might reconsider its investments in the UK, and its long-term presence in the country.

Airbus could also consider cutting jobs in the country, where the company has a wing test facility and other operations.

“While Airbus understands that the political process must go on, as a responsible business we require immediate details on the pragmatic steps that should be taken to operate competitively.”

The company further noted that it would carefully monitor any new investments in the UK and refrain from extending its UK suppliers/partners base.

Airbus Commercial Aircraft chief operating officer Tom Williams said:“In any scenario, Brexit has severe negative consequences for the UK aerospace industry and Airbus in particular. Therefore, immediate mitigation measures would need to be accelerated.

“While Airbus understands that the political process must go on, as a responsible business we require immediate details on the pragmatic steps that should be taken to operate competitively. Without these, Airbus believes that the impacts on our UK operations could be significant.

“We have sought to highlight our concerns over the past 12 months, without success. Far from Project Fear, this is a dawning reality for Airbus. Put simply, a No Deal scenario directly threatens Airbus’ future in the UK.”

In the UK, the company directly employs 14,000 people at 25 sites and supports more than 110,000 jobs in the wider supply chain.