What does Brexit mean for EU private aviation?

Brexit and EU private aviation

State of things

With the 29 March nearly upon us, the idea of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union was becoming more and more concrete. Today, we learn that UK Prime Minister Theresa May is asking European Union leaders to extend the Brexit deadline until 30 June.

In the meantime, professionals in the aviation sector are conjuring up the aftermath of a UK divorce from the European Union as well as its diverse scenarios in case of a no-deal Brexit. Besides, travellers flying in and out of the UK are wondering if their journeys will be disrupted once the UK is no longer a member of the Union. As the UK exit from the EU becomes a severe matter for airlines and international companies, GlobeAir have attempted to compile some of the information known to us so far by taking the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) and the EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency) as the reference for keeping up-to-date with the matter of Brexit.

What does Brexit mean for GlobeAir?

Probable scenarios and action items

Aviation companies are international by nature. With 227 movements within the UK in the year 2018 and some UK-licensed crew members, GlobeAir are currently monitoring the unveiling of this historic moment, taking the necessary steps ahead of time and considering the assumptions listed by the CAA in the case of a no-deal Brexit.

Until just recently, the biggest threat to EU private aviation was the impossibility to operate national flights within the UK after Brexit. On the 13 March, however, the Head of Airline Licensing at the UK CAA David Kendrick deliberated that the UK will allow a three-month interim period before applying any flight restrictions to EU private aviation operators. A piece of news that seems to shed a bright light on the Brexit topic, yet not without any doubts regarding the future.

While the EASA and the UK government have expressed their commitment to work closely for the sake of maintaining aviation service’s continuity and stability, EU operators flying internationally are taking concrete actions.

Acknowledging the fact that national flight movements within the UK could become hard to perform, GlobeAir have reacted quickly and completed all possible bureaucratic procedures in order to provide their best services fully and with as little interruption as possible.

Considering some of the assumptions which have been put forward by the CAA regarding Brexit before the UK Prime Minister's plead to extend the Brexit deadline:

• The UK leaves the EU at 11 pm on 29 March 2019.
• The UK is no longer part of the EASA system from March 2019 leading up to the CAA making arrangements to fulfil regulatory functions.
• The UK is also no longer part of the EU-level Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreements.
• There is no mutual recognition of aviation licences, approvals and certificates.
• The UK’s aviation regulations mirror the ones of the EU for two years.
• The EU treats UK airlines as Third Country Operators.

As per today, there is no clear information regarding how the extension will affect the above.

GlobeAir’s major counteractions to Brexit have been:

• Initiate the license transfer procedures for UK-licensed pilots.
• Apply for full third country operator certificate (TCO) to minimise the impact of flight restrictions within the UK national territory.

What does Brexit mean for EU and UK travellers?

Visa-free travel legislations for UK citizens is being drafted

As anticipated, it is still too early to foresee the exact unfolding of the bureaucratic aviation procedures for air travellers from the UK and the EU after Brexit. Travellers entering and leaving the UK will still have two years to see their travel policies changed – a scenario which could be influenced by a deal or no-deal Brexit.

For what we can now understand, in the first two years after Brexit, passengers will not suffer hugely significant changes to their travel habits. Security and boarding procedures will run as per usual with necessary remote clearance procedures to be performed for non-EU passengers.

As per the latest drafted legislation, UK citizens will not require a visa when travelling from the UK to mainland EU countries – not at least until the transition period which goes from 29 March 2019 to 2021 is over. Later, UK citizens may be asked to pay £7 to be granted three years of visa-free travels. Should the legislation fail to be approved, however, UK citizens will have to pay £52 for a Schengen visa as well as waiting up to two weeks to get it approved.

We are just a few days away from 29 March 2019 and many uncertainties about the future of travelling in and out of the UK continue to arise. We at GlobeAir will be keeping a very close eye on the development of future Brexit events to bring you the latest information on the matter.

Update March 25th, 2019: GlobeAir just received the permit allowing you to travel within the UK ("domestic flights") until June 28th, 2019.

Was this information useful? Do you have any questions regarding Brexit and private aviation? Email us at customercare@globeair.com and we will try to address your inquiries.