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BREXIT TROUBLES: Flights from the UK could be grounded after Brexit

Thousands of flights from the UK could be grounded after Brexit if no emergency aviation contingency deal is put in place before Britain leaves the European Union next March.

Thousands of flights from the UK could be grounded after Brexit if no emergency aviation contingency deal is put in place before Britain leaves the European Union next March.

It comes amid reports that Brussels has refused to discuss an emergency aviation contingency deal with the UK before Britain leaves the EU on March 29 next year.

Flights over Britain and Europe are stringently regulated in Open Skies arrangements which depend on the UK’s membership of the EU.

London

According to The Gaurdian, The General Aviation Manufacturers Association and the UK aerospace group ADS wrote to the European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier earlier this month to warn that the current approach would not only impact Britain but could damage the whole of the EU aerospace and defense industry.

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Michel Barnier

Their letter pleads that the European Aviation Safety Agency and the Civil Aviation Authority must urgently begin technical and contingency planning discussions.

“Without an agreed solution … supply chain disruption across Europe will occur, parts will be unable to be delivered, pilots and maintenance technicians will be unable to work, aerospace companies in the UK will lose foreign validations for their business, and aircraft will be grounded globally.”

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association and the UK aerospace group

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The Gaurdian said UK carriers, such as easyJet, have been told they will have to be 50% owned and controlled by EU nationals to enjoy the continued right to fly between destinations.

They will also need to be headquartered in an EU member state; for example, easyJet has set up easyJet Europe in Austria in a bid to keep its flying rights.

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