Airbus CEO Warns of New Risks Facing Companies, Calls for "Self-Reliance"

Airbus CEO Leclerc warned in an internal company email today that due to the trade protectionism in the United States and the Sino-US trade tensions last year, which caused "significant" losses to Airbus's logistics and finance, this European company must be prepared to face new, worrying geopolitical risks.

Airbus CEO Warns

Airbus CEO Leclerc stated: "The crisis at the beginning of 2026 was unprecedented, and the geopolitical situation is also worrying. We must continue to move forward with a spirit of unity and self-reliance, especially since the international aviation sector is highly competitive, and the confrontation between China and the US has further intensified these challenges."

In a memo released last week, Airbus CEO Leclerc did not mention the geopolitical situation. At that time, Washington and its allies were having disagreements over Greenland and the role of NATO, and Airbus is also a major weapons supplier in Europe.

Airbus CEO Leclerc pointed out that multiple trade pressures have "caused serious collateral damage to Airbus, including logistics and economic aspects."

Tense Geopolitical Relations Between China and the US

In April last year, President Trump of the United States announced heavy tariffs on Chinese goods, and China responded by restricting rare earth exports. Subsequently, Washington temporarily froze exports of engines and other key components to China, which are used in the C919 aircraft produced in China. However, the assembly of Airbus planes in China also requires these parts from the US, thus being affected by the lack of parts.

The impact of the US tariff measures on the aerospace industry has been partially alleviated.

Although the international trade situation remains turbulent, Airbus CEO Leclerc still congratulated his group's 160,000 employees, saying that the overall performance in 2025 was "good," but did not reveal more details. Airbus will announce specific results on February 19th.

Airbus CEO Leclerc said: "Thanks to the deep restructuring of Airbus, it has strengthened its capabilities in defense and space. The Airbus Helicopters division also showed 'excellent and stable performance'."

Learning from the Lessons of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Leclerc also warned that Airbus must learn from the largest plane recall in history that occurred in November last year, which involved software updates. Subsequently, due to defects in the fuselage panels of Airbus, the company had to lower its delivery targets, but still met its previously set financial goals, partly thanks to cost reductions in commercial operations.

One of Airbus's current main goals is to strengthen management in systems and products.

Since the post-pandemic period, Airbus's supply chain has improved, but there are still some disruptive factors, such as the most severe difficulties encountered with engines provided by Pratt & Whitney (RTX.N) and CFM International.

Retired former Airbus CEO Christian Scherer said earlier this month that the continuous delays in the delivery of engines for the A320 series aircraft were mainly due to difficulties in cooperation with Pratt & Whitney.

Currently, one of Airbus's development goals is to focus on improving financial performance and accumulating cash reserves over the next decade, as the two most important airlines in the world, Airbus and Boeing, are preparing for the next round of aircraft R&D challenges.

It is expected that the 2030s will be marked by the development of the successor to the A320, which is expected to be put into service within the next decade. Boeing has also adopted a similar strategy, and Boeing has stated that reducing debt is its top priority in the short term.

Airbus CEO encouraged employees: "Achieving profit growth in the future is crucial. We must be in the best condition to face this critical period. The future of Airbus depends on whether we can successfully implement this strategic transformation."

Source: rfi

Original: toutiao.com/article/1855393010808842/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author."