I’m getting a headache from banging my head against the wall. I will try to explain it one last time, in simple terms, and then I’m done.
Flights between the UK and the EU are at risk because, without a deal in place, the EU can quite simply withdraw Operating Licenses and stop recognising our European Safety Certificates. This would mean we could no longer use their airports and facilities. Any Airlines that are not majority-owned and controlled by the EU, the EEA, or Swiss nationals are therefore at risk of losing their ‘Right to fly’ into the EU. Airlines at risk included EasyJet, Ryanair, and British Airways. That’s it. Done. Finito. British ‘planes grounded – all fuelled up with no where to go. There are plenty of EU-based ‘economy’ airlines in particular would be delighted to see EasyJet and Ryanair fold so they could take over the routes.
However, because the possibility of Britain exiting Europe without a Deal is now a pressing issue for all the companies that do business across borders, the EU has produced a contingency plan to keep vital supply-lines moving and allow limited Tourism. It will allow us to continue flying to and from a single destination in the EU for another 6 months, during which time the affected Airlines can apply for new ‘Right to fly’ (unless some ‘Deal’ can be thrashed out in the meantime) and arrange for their European Safety Certificates to be replaced by Civil Aviation Authority-backed certification. Britain would be expected to provide equal access to EU Airlines along the same lines.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) have issued a statement regarding the EU proposal:
“We welcome the Commission’s publication of the proposed contingency plan for air services and aviation safety and we urge the UK to publish its proposal as soon as possible. We would prefer the certainty of a complete and final Brexit deal and hope that this can still be negotiated. However, in the absence of a deal then this contingency will be vital for a seamless continuation of air connectivity.
“The contingency plan offers the chance to minimise disruption for passengers, but in addition to waiting for the UK to reciprocate, there remain issues which airlines will need to see clarified, including the transfer of passenger name record data from the EU to UK to be GDPR compliant. The maximum six-month time frame is also a concern as it does not leave much time to agree a more comprehensive long-term solution.”