The United Kingdom has not been a member of EASA, the European Aviation Safety Organisation, since the beginning of last year. The consequences are slowly unfolding and leading to ’consternation ‘ in the UK, according to website AIN. There is still a transition period in place until the end of this year.

Aviation International News, an American publisher of aviation news, writes that to the frustration of the industry in the UK, all kinds of arrangements, which were previously fixed in EASA, now have to be agreed bilaterally.

The UK left the European Union on 31 January 2020, the Brexit. In many areas, including aviation, a transitional period is in force. This applies, for example, to certificates, until the end of 2022. But because the UK and EU haven’t exactly broken up as friends, everything seems to be going along political lines, rather than practical ones, says AIN, and that’s why it takes a long time for everything to be around.

According to ADS, the British trade organization that represents companies in aviation, the European Union in particular is unwelcome.

”Following the UK’s departure from the European Union, cooperation is critical to resolve pending technical issues, ” ADS told AIN.

The departure of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who will receive a successor from his own Conservative Party in september, further complicates the situation.

The British lawyer Simon Phippard speaks at AIN and describes how the stand-alone position of Great Britain leads to concerns in, for example, the maintenance of aircraft

“EASA certificates will soon no longer be valid in the UK. A maintenance company from the EU can then only get started in the UK if it also receives local certification for the same part.”

An identical situation occurs with certificates. A commercial pilot licence (CPL) is still valid throughout EASA’s area of operation, including the United Kingdom. At the beginning of 2023, this will no longer be the case and pilots from EASA countries will no longer be able to fly an aircraft registered in the UK. The reverse is also true.

EASA consists of all the countries of the European Union plus the four member states of EFTA, the European Free Trade Association: Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.