The European Commission has proposed that flights from the U.K.
be allowed to continue for 12 months in the event of a no-deal Brexit. U.K.
safety licenses would be honored for nine months after the March 29 Brexit
date.
"These measures will only ensure basic connectivity and
in no means replicate the significant advantages of membership of the Single
European Sky," the EU Commission said in a press release that accompanied
the publication of a broader no-deal Brexit contingency plan.
The proposal is contingent upon the U.K. providing a similar
arrangement for flights from the EU, the commission said. Significantly, it
would not allow U.K.-owned airlines to operate routes from one EU member state
to another in a post-Brexit landscape. Instead, the commission said, the
proposal is intended only to allow for the air connectivity between the EU and
U.K. that EU member states would need to cover the basic needs of their
economy.
IATA has long warned about the impacts a no-deal Brexit
could have on air transportation. Under current agreements, airlines from all
28 members of the EU can fly freely in and out of the U.K. and within the EU's
continental member states.
To prepare for the worst-case scenario, some airlines have
been taking contingency steps. For example, U.K.-based EasyJet established an
Austrian subsidiary to ensure that it could continue flying within continental
Europe.
The possibility of a no-deal Brexit has increased over the
past month as U.K. prime minister Theresa May has been unable to garner support
for a Brexit agreement her government has negotiated with the EU.