However, a responsible government must plan for every
eventuality, including a no deal scenario.
In December, Cabinet agreed to proceed with the
government’s next phase of no deal planning. This means we
are setting in motion our remaining no deal plans.
Both the EU and the UK have been clear that they
are committed to maintaining air services in any scenario.
Aviation links are a key priority for the Department for
Transport. The UK has the third largest
aviation network in the world, and the biggest in Europe.
Air travel is vital for both the UK and the EU in connecting people and
businesses, facilitating tourism and trade.
The UK and EU have a mutual interest in
maintaining well-functioning aviation markets.
The government has made preparations to deliver continuity
of air services between the UK and the EU in the event that
the UK leaves
the EU without a withdrawal
agreement. We set out in our technical notices in September
2018 that the UK would take a pragmatic
approach to any no deal scenario, and
provide EU airlines with permission to
operate. We expected EUcountries to reciprocate and
provide permissions to UK airlines.
Following this, the European Commission proposed a
regulation to ensure air connectivity in the event that
the UK leaves
without a withdrawal agreement. A final version of the
draft regulation has been provisionally agreed by
the EU. This is
expected to be confirmed by the Council and the European
Parliament shortly.
The provisionally agreed EU regulation is intended to
apply after the UKleaves the EU, and would
entitle UK airlines to continue
operating air services from the UK to the EU until March 2020.
Accordingly, I am today publishing a policy
statement to set out how the UKintends to provide the necessary
permissions to member state airlines in order for them to
operate to the UK.
We have made all decisions in relation to how
the UK will
reciprocate based on 3 key principles.
First, we want to provide certainty and reassurance to
industry and consumers.
Second, we want to minimise the potential for disruption.
Finally, we want to maintain a level playing field
for UK industry, ahead of future
negotiations.
Full details on how the UK will reciprocate are set
out in the policy statement. In short, for the 12 month
duration of the EU regulation,
the UK intends to reciprocate the
rights provided in the EU’s regulation, and
grant EU air
carriers a level of access to the UK at least equivalent to the
rights that would be granted to UK airlines under the
regulation. This includes traffic rights, ownership and
control, leasing of aircraft, cooperative marketing
arrangements and fair competition.
As an exceptional measure to ensure the continuity of
regional services and to minimise disruption, we will for a
short period go further and allow member state airlines to
operate wholly within the UK for the IATA summer
season 2019, which ends on 27 October 2019, ensuring
continued regional connectivity and providing time
for EU businesses to adjust to new
arrangements. We will also allow code sharing on existing
services to continue.
While continuing to plan for all eventualities, we also
believe that it is right to underline the fact that
the UK is
taking a positive and pragmatic approach. Overall, we
continue to believe that liberal, reciprocal market access
is in the best interest of the EU countries and
the UK, and we
will move swiftly to propose negotiations on this basis in
the event that the UK leaves without a withdrawal
agreement.
