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The head of Airbus has warned staff that the plane maker must be ready to adapt to unsettling new geopolitical risks after facing “significant” logistical and financial damage from U.S. protectionism and U.S.-China trade tensions last year.
“The beginning of 2026 is marked by an unprecedented number of crises and by unsettling geopolitical developments. We should proceed in a spirit of solidarity and self-reliance,” CEO Guillaume Faury said in an internal letter seen by Reuters.
“The industrial landscape in which we operate is sown with difficulties, exacerbated by the confrontation between the U.S. and China.” Airbus declined comment on internal communications.
Faury did not identify geopolitical developments in the memo, which was circulated last week against the backdrop of disunity between Washington and allies over Greenland and the role of NATO. Airbus is a major European defense supplier.
