Ryanair called for “common sense” to prevail at Westminster to avoid the UK crashing out of the EU on March 29.
Grim new figures also showed the construction sector grinding to a halt.
Business chiefs stressed investment into some automotive firms was in freefall amid the political deadlock over Britain’s future trade ties with the EU.
They stepped up their warnings after Nissan’s shock announcement that it would build its X-Trail 4x4 in Japan instead of at its Sunderland plant.
The car giant, which employs 7,000 people in Sunderland, hit out at Brexit “uncertainty” as it confirmed the decision. It also gave other reasons such as the move away from diesel vehicles.
John Neill, chief executive of parts distributor Unipart, warned that a no-deal Brexit would be “devastating” for the car industry as it would mean “unravelling” 40 years of agreements, including frictionless trade.
He argued that the automotive industry is suffering an “investment famine”, with on average £2.5 billion a year having been recently pumped into it but this was now down to £400 million.
Richard Swart, global sales director for manufacturer Berger, said: “Due to the uncertainty, due to the Prime Minister’s plan of not giving assurances on frictionless trade, due to the threat of no deal, it’s close to midnight now and business have to make decisions. We cannot wait any longer.”
Ryanair warned that the risk of a no-deal departure remained “worryingly high” as it reported a £17.5 million loss for the third quarter of 2018, citing weaker-than-expected air fares among its challenges.
“While we hope that common sense will prevail, and lead to either a delay in Brexit, or agreement on the 21 month transition deal currently on the table, we have taken all necessary steps to protect Ryanair’s business in a no-deal environment,” the company said.
The Markit/CIPS UK Construction purchasing managers’ index recorded a reading of 50.6 for January, down from 52.8 in December and below the 52.5 expected by the City.
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A reading above 50 indicates growth. Tim Moore, of IHS Markit, which compiles the survey, said: “Delays to client decision making on new projects in response to Brexit uncertainty was cited as a key source of anxiety at the start of 2019.”
