Airbus SE is preparing its employees for a turbulent year ahead as geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and other countries hang over the start of 2026. 

“The beginning of 2026 is marked by an unprecedented number of crises and by unsettling geopolitical developments,” Chief Executive Officer Guillaume Faury wrote in an internal memo seen by Bloomberg News. “We should proceed in a spirit of solidarity and self-reliance.” 

“The industrial landscape in which we operate is sown with difficulties, exacerbated by the confrontation between the U.S. and China,” Faury said in the letter. These geopolitical issues caused significant logistical and financial collateral damage for the planemaker last year, and the company needs to be “ready to adapt at all times,” he wrote. 

The unusually gloomy tone underscores a growing sense of alarm about an increasingly hostile approach by U.S. President Donald Trump against longtime allies in places like Canada and Europe. Tensions broke into the open last week after Trump escalated his demands that the U.S. should be given control of Greenland — a quest he underscored with the threat of fresh tariffs against countries opposing the move. 

The political dislocations are clouding an otherwise strong period for planemakers and airlines as demand reaches new highs. United Airlines Holdings Inc. warned last week that the fallout between global powers risks disrupting the carrier’s global operations. 

Airbus, which reports full-year earnings in February, said it had no comment on internal correspondence. Reuters first reported on the memo. 

Airbus is at higher risk than U.S. rival Boeing Co. from the renewed transatlantic-trade tensions over Greenland that are threatening a deal keeping aerospace tariffs at zero, Bloomberg Intelligence analysts George Ferguson and Melissa Balzano wrote in a note. 

“Airbus has more to lose, we believe, given its stronger customer base in the U.S., but more options due to its final-assembly line in Alabama. Engines are particularly challenging, given interwoven supply chains,” they said.