UK: Hammond shoots down idea that no-deal Brexit means no-fly zone

Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond poured cold water on the idea that planes would be unable to fly from the UK to the EU if there’s no deal on Brexit, a favourite theme of opponents of an abrupt departure from the bloc. Britain’s air-traffic controllers currently work under agreements that are part of Britain’s EU membership. When lawmakers in Theresa May’s Conservative Party urge the prime minister to walk away from negotiations immediately, the question of how airlines will continue to operate in those circumstances is thrown back at them. Hammond acknowledged that it’s “theoretically conceivable” that all planes would be grounded, but went on: “I don’t think anybody seriously believes that that is where we will get to.” Such a scenario, he pointed out, isn’t in the interests of the EU either. <br/>