UK would allow EU airlines to fly in no-deal Brexit, would keep EU safety rules

Britain will allow EU airlines to continue to fly into the country if it leaves the bloc without a divorce deal, the government said in technical papers published Monday, adding that it plans to stick to EU rules on aviation safety. The ‘no-deal’ papers acknowledged the risk that flights could be grounded if Britain leaves the EU on March 29, 2019, without a deal and said some pilot and safety licenses issued by the UK would no longer be recognized in the EU. Britain has said it wants to continue to participate in the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), but without a Brexit deal this might not be possible. The UK government said it was aiming to avoid such a worst-case scenario, and would look for an agreement on flying rights if there was a disorderly Brexit. “In this scenario the UK would envisage granting permission to EU airlines to continue to operate. We would expect EU countries to reciprocate in turn,” it said in a paper published on Monday. A deal between the UK and EU, or between the UK and individual countries, was possible, it said. On aviation safety in a no-deal scenario, the UK said it would retain EU legislation, and that functions currently performed by EASA would instead be performed by Britain’s aviation regulator, the Civil Aviation Agency. Story has more details.<br/>