Brexit red tape forces UK cargo airline to fly to US for routine servicing
A fledgling British cargo airline has said Brexit red tape has forced it to go as far as the US for routine servicing and repairs, at huge environmental and financial costs. The CE of One Air, Chris Hope, said the last government failed to do any Brexit impact assessment for aviation and the sector was concerned that Labour would make a similar “mysterious” omission when it opens talks with the EU about a reset in the cross-Channel trading relationship. The company has criticised post-Brexit rules that require British pilots to be formally re-examined for identical qualifications in the EU at a substantial cost, while engineers’ hard-earned licences are rendered practically worthless outside Britain. Part of the problem is the lack of mutual recognition for those with professional qualifications between the EU and the UK, something that also causes problems for architects and accountants. One Air’s problem is compounded by its position as the only company in the UK operating Boeing 747s. Servicing and maintenance infrastructure for the aircraft is fast disappearing as passenger airlines have switched to Airbus since the pandemic. As part of the Brexit arrangement, EU-based aircraft engineering companies in the bloc could apply to be recognised in the UK before the end of 2022 but there were no takers for 747s. It means One Air is forced to fight for slots in the one repair workshop in Germany recognised in the UK or go to the US for the work to be done. “In the seven months of this calendar year so far, we’ve had two [services] that had to go to the US. The kind of incremental cost difference is approaching $500,000 for each of them,” Hope said, resulting in costs so far of $1m.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2024-08-19/general/brexit-red-tape-forces-uk-cargo-airline-to-fly-to-us-for-routine-servicing
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Brexit red tape forces UK cargo airline to fly to US for routine servicing
A fledgling British cargo airline has said Brexit red tape has forced it to go as far as the US for routine servicing and repairs, at huge environmental and financial costs. The CE of One Air, Chris Hope, said the last government failed to do any Brexit impact assessment for aviation and the sector was concerned that Labour would make a similar “mysterious” omission when it opens talks with the EU about a reset in the cross-Channel trading relationship. The company has criticised post-Brexit rules that require British pilots to be formally re-examined for identical qualifications in the EU at a substantial cost, while engineers’ hard-earned licences are rendered practically worthless outside Britain. Part of the problem is the lack of mutual recognition for those with professional qualifications between the EU and the UK, something that also causes problems for architects and accountants. One Air’s problem is compounded by its position as the only company in the UK operating Boeing 747s. Servicing and maintenance infrastructure for the aircraft is fast disappearing as passenger airlines have switched to Airbus since the pandemic. As part of the Brexit arrangement, EU-based aircraft engineering companies in the bloc could apply to be recognised in the UK before the end of 2022 but there were no takers for 747s. It means One Air is forced to fight for slots in the one repair workshop in Germany recognised in the UK or go to the US for the work to be done. “In the seven months of this calendar year so far, we’ve had two [services] that had to go to the US. The kind of incremental cost difference is approaching $500,000 for each of them,” Hope said, resulting in costs so far of $1m.<br/>
