Representatives from the aviation sector were invited to a European Parliament transport committee hearing on Tuesday 11 July, where they expressed the sector’s concerns about the United Kingdom leaving the European Union.
Uncertainties regarding the consequences of Brexit in the aviation sector are very real if the participants at this hearing are to be believed. This is even more the case given that no transition agreement appears to have been planned by either the European Union or the United Kingdom.
Michael O’Leary, the CEO of the low-cost Irish airline, Ryanair, expressed the most alarm about the subject. According to Mr O’Leary, no “real perspective” has been provided to aviation actors due to the lack of a legal framework. He considers that given the current situation, if the United Kingdom leaves the European Union, it will also need to leave the Single Sky. He is therefore planning to cancel flights and send aircraft based in British airports to European Union airports.
Although less categorical, the other participants were asked to discuss the consequences of Brexit in the aviation domain and also highlighted the very real economic and social implications for businesses and citizens in both the Union and United Kingdom. Kevin Toland, the CEO of Dublin airport, for example, highlighted Ireland’s aviation dependency on United Kingdom and the extremely damaging ramifications that Brexit could have on his country. His airport has already experienced a reduction in aviation traffic to Ireland.
Just as a categorical exit from the Single Sky would make flights between the Union and the United Kingdom problematic, Sean Kennedy, the representative for Airlines for America, also said that flights between United Kingdom and third countries would be difficult, as well as simply flying over British Aerospace, which would not be able to take place initially. This is because the British will no longer be signatory parties to the bilateral agreements between the EU and third countries.
The different speakers also referred to the mutual dependency that existed between regional airports and airlines (often low-cost airlines) using the British flag. Franck Goldnadel, the representative of Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle airport, said that many airports would definitely suffer from a negative impact.
All of the different participants appeared unanimous about the need for the United Kingdom to remain a member of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The latter’s statutes are currently being negotiated between representatives from the European Parliament and Council of the EU (see EUROPE 11721).
Although the negotiations between the United Kingdom and the Union are subject to these uncertainties, participants, particularly Willie Walsh, the CEO of International Airlines Group, considers that the two parties should be able to reach an agreement that enables the airlines to operate freely without having an impact on flights in the European Union. Although this situation is just a hypothesis at the moment, all the different participants call for the implementation of transition measures in an effort to provide a certain visibility to airline operators. (Original version in French by Lucas Tripoteau)