Airbus says entering dangerous phase due to Brexit

The operations boss of Airbus declared Tuesday that the European aerospace giant was entering a "dangerous phase" because of Brexit, which could complicate its free movement of staff and products.

Tom Williams, Chief Operating Officer and President of Commercial Aircraft at Airbus, made the comments before British lawmakers on parliament's powerful Treasury Select Committee.

The Airbus chief was asked if the company would continue to prosper in the face of Brexit -- and whether it could survive without a presence in Britain.

"If we didn't have our operations in the UK operating seamlessly, that would be a really big concern for us," Williams told MPs on the committee, indicating this could boost its fierce Seattle-based US rival Boeing.

"And I am sure there would be many people in Seattle and in Washington that would be more than delighted to see this scenario played out, because they will take every opportunity to try undermine the success of Airbus.