Post-Brexit exclusion frustrates UK pilots as carriers seek EASA-licensed crews

Frustrated UK cockpit representatives are urging the government to redress the licence-recognition imbalance with the EU, as Ryanair’s Maltese carrier Lauda Europe’s recruitment for a London Stansted base lays down a requirement for European-licensed pilots. With the UK no longer a member of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, after the ‘Brexit’ withdrawal agreement came into force on 1 January, UK licences are no longer valid for use on EU-registered aircraft – like the Maltese-registered jets of Lauda Europe. Lauda Europe is recruiting Airbus A320 captains and first officers for the Stansted base but its advertisement requires them to hold an EASA flight crew licence. UK licence-holders wanting to fly EU-registered aircraft need to apply for validation from the relevant EU aviation authority. The issue has been exacerbated by the pandemic-driven collapse in air transport demand, which has intensified competition for cockpit positions. UK pilot union BALPA’s acting general secretary Capt Martin Chalk tells FlightGlobal that UK-licensed pilots “are at a disadvantage” as a result of an “incomplete” withdrawal agreement. “This is a consequence of that short-sighted decision,” he says.<br/>