EBAA is actively and consistently collecting for, and disseminating to, operators information since the conclusion of the Brexit agreement at the end of 2020. Our first guidance was produced and communicated to the membership on 28 Dec. 2020, followed by several other and useful practical pieces of information on how to navigate through this new situation.

EBAA focused on two issues primarily: (1) permits & authorisations that can be considered as administrative issues and (2) barriers, market access and traffic rights that have political implications.

On permits & authorisations, EBAA developed a repository of information on the EBAA website, providing details on the administrative requirements for UK operators willing to fly to the EU/EAA. The process is straightforward for continental operators willing to fly to the UK as a block permit scheme as well as other facilitations are provided by the UK-CAA. Nevertheless, the approach that the UK is currently granting to EU operators is non-permanent and under the condition of reciprocity for UK operators. At some point in time, this current situation will be assessed by the UK authorities.

The secretariat is currently working on a position paper on administrative barriers (e.g. authorisations and permits) that will be disseminated and promoted to our institutional contacts at  EU and national levels. An advocacy strategy will also be defined to promote EBAA’s members’ interests based on the most critical situations to be addressed as a priority.

With respect to traffic rights, the Brexit agreement provides that individual Member States and the UK can conclude bilateral agreements allowing for market access that goes beyond the 3rd and 4th freedom for non-scheduled flights only. The secretariat is undertaking an internal reflection on how this item should be addressed going forward. Key elements of such assessment will include EBAA’s vision statement, its governance requirements on such matters, previous EBAA positions on aeropolitical affairs and the views from national associations.

What remains clear is that a lot of work is left to be done on Brexit. Should you have any questions or want to provide is with feedback on issues you are facing, please don’t hesitate to contact us.