UK: Thomas Cook says air traffic could halt for a week after Brexit

Air traffic could be grounded for up to a week after a disorderly exit of Britain from the EU due to uncertainty over future air traffic rules, Christoph Debus, head of Thomas Cook Airlines, said Friday. British airlines currently have unlimited flying rights to and from the EU as part of the single market’s common aviation rulebook. But it remains unclear what rules will govern flying rights after Brexit, so Thomas Cook has drawn up contingency plans, Debus said. “We have done our homework even for the scenario of a ‘no deal’,” Debus explained. “It cannot be ruled out that air traffic will be grounded for a day or a week,” Debus said, referring to the period immediately after the end of March 2019, when Britain formally exits. "In a period of political instability we need to be prepared for a no-deal scenario,” he said.<br/>