Around 54 million round trips are made from the UK to the EU each year which is more than double the 26 million round trips made by EU nationals to the UK. Over 75% of all UK holidaymakers and 66% of business travellers go to the EU each year, and 63% of all tourists and 73% of all business travellers visiting the UK come from EU states. The UK’s aviation industry has an annual turnover of £22 billion per year and is the largest in Europe, It is also one of the most regulated sectors and as such is vulnerable to a no deal Brexit.
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) ensures airlines respect safety rules and certifies aerospace products across the bloc, helping to bring down the costs of development and production within the industry. In addition, the EU has a bilateral agreement with the United States under which they accept each other’s certifications (the UK and US operate flights to one another through this arrangement). If the UK is excluded from EASA after it quits the EU it will not only see flights grounded but will also see an increase in certification costs for both airlines and manufacturers as they would have to pay for FAA certification to sell their products in the United States and maintenance facilities would have to pay to be certified as meeting FAA standards.
If we leave the EU without a deal the UK will automatically be excluded from the Single European Sky and SESAR (Single European Sky Air Traffic Management Research) programme. World Trade Organisation rules do not provide a fall-back position for aviation, meaning that without securing a deal with the EU, UK operators would lose ‘Community air carrier’ status and therefore intra-EU traffic rights. This is not anti-Brexit hype this is reality and if you need a reminder of the devastation that this will cause then cast your minds back to 2003 when the European Aviation Safety Agency took over responsibility from national regulators, despite years of planning, planes were still grounded because 'companies and regulators' struggled to catch up with the new arrangements.
Airlines and the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) want to remain part of the European Aviation Safety Agency, however, Theresa May insists that she intends to leave the single market, outside of which the UK could not remain a member of any of the EU’s agencies. This stubbornness by the UK government has prompted some companies to prepare for the worst. EasyJet has opted to set up a separate EU subsidiary at an estimated cost of £10 million while low low-cost carrier Ryanair has applied for a British air operating license.
Whatever decision that is made regarding our departure from the EU, there is one thing that is guaranteed... The EU will not compromise on Air Safety just to satisfy the ego of Theresa May and a NO DEAL Brexit will result in a NO FLIGHT Brexit....