Airbus // Universal Registration Document 2021

Risk Factors / 1 Financial Market Risks

contracts due to the long-terms of such contracts. Such revision clauses can be based on one or multiple indices and therefore, can evolve due to changes in economic measures on which such indices are based, thereby potentially negatively impacting the Company’s results. The Company generally finances its manufacturing activities and product development programmes, and in particular the development of new commercial aircraft, through a combination of Cash Flows generated by operating activities, customer advances, European governments’ refundable advances and risk-sharing partnerships with subcontractors. In addition, the Company’s military activities benefit from government-financed research and development contracts. If necessary, the Company may raise funds in the capital markets. Weak economic circumstances leading to liquidity constraints or reduced availability of finance for the Company’s customers, suppliers, European and other governments, and other risk sharing partners may affect the Company’s ability to finance its product development programmes and raise funds in the capital markets. The Company’s financial results could also be negatively affected depending on gains or losses realised on the sale or exchange of financial instruments; impairment charges resulting from revaluations of debt and equity securities and other investments; interest rates; cash balances; and changes in fair value of derivative instruments. Increased volatility in the financial markets and overall economic uncertainty would increase the risk of the actual amounts realised in the future on the Company’s financial instruments differing significantly from the fair values currently assigned to them. Although the potential negative impact of global economic conditions has been thoroughly assessed, the consequences thereof could have unforeseen material effects on the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition, and in particular if these were to impact the Company’s commercial aviation activities or otherwise impact its access to financing. Brexit On 29 March 2017, the UK triggered Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, the mechanism to leave the European Union (“ Brexit ”). The UK left the EU in an orderly manner on 31 January 2020 under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement. Brexit could lead to a reduced degree of political alignment between the Airbus home nations of UK, France, Germany and Spain, and more widely with EU institutions, now that the UK is no longer a member of the EU. The risk of fragmentation could also impact the availability of public financing sources for our sector. This could for instance materialise in relation to COVID-19 crisis recovery plans, investment necessary to support our industry’s climate transition, financing of defence and security activities, or of research and development. The Trade and Cooperation Agreement (“ TCA ”) concluded between the EU and the UK provides an adequate basis to support the Company’s and its supply chain industrial operations. Nevertheless, the existence of divergences between the EU and UK’s positions on certain significant issues, for instance in relation to Northern Irish border controls, migration flows or regulatory alignment, could trigger tensions which, in turn, could impact the implementation of the TCA and the associated benefits for our sector.

At the end of 2020, approximately 21,000 suppliers from more than 80 countries supply parts, components, systems and services to the Company. In 2020, the overall external sourcing volume of the Company was valued at around € 41 billion. The Company requires its suppliers’ and subcontractors’ services in order to deliver our products and generate revenue and profit. Therefore financial instability in any part of the world that would affect our suppliers or subcontractors, including financial conditions resulting in their inability to obtain credit or even in their insolvency, could impact the Company’s ability to meet its customer obligations in a satisfactory and timely manner. In addition, financial instability af fecting suppliers or subcontractors could impact such parties’ ability to meet their obligations under risk sharing partnership agreements entered into with the Company. The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting health and economic crisis has increased the Company’s exposure to supply chain risk. The behaviour of our customers and by extension, the demand for and supply of, the Company’s products and services has been and may continue to be materially affected by global economic conditions. Historically, the Company has experienced that order intake for commercial aircraft has shown cyclical trends, due in part to changes in passenger demand for air travel and the air cargo share of freight activity, which are in turn driven by a range of economic variables including gross domestic product (“ GDP ”) growth and private consumption levels. A further downturn in economic factors driven by geopolitical events or by new variants and successive waves of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting health and/or economic crisis and the related drop in air travel in a large part of the world driving our commercial airline business, could lead to protracted weak demand for our commercial aircraft. The significant growth of our commercial aircraft business relative to the Company’s defence, space and government activities has diluted the latter’s ability to serve as an effective tool to counter commercial cycles. Demand for military and parapublic products may be further af fected by governmental budget constraints caused by economic pressure and COVID-19 measures. Therefore protracted weak global economic conditions could directly result in: – – financial distress of airlines and lessors, and potential bankruptcies around the world; – – requests by customers to postpone or cancel existing orders for aircraft (including helicopters) or decisions by customers to review their order intake strategy due to, among other things, lack of adequate credit supply from the market to finance aircraft purchases or increases in operating costs or weak levels of passenger demand for air travel and cargo activity more generally, which could negatively impact the Company’s results of operations; – – variations in public spending for defence, homeland security and space activities, which may lead to termination or reduction of future funding or cancellations or delays impacting existing contracts which could negatively impact the Company’s results of operations; and – – an increase in the amount of sales financing that the Company is requested to provide to its customers to support aircraft deliveries typically secured over the underlying aircraft and bearing exposure to the customer credit risk. See “– Risk Factors – Financial Market Risks – Sales Financing Arrangements”. In addition, in the commercial aircraft industry it is the industry standard to include revision clauses in sales and supplier

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Airbus / Registration Document 2021