Officials Clear New 'Ryanair UK' for Post-Brexit Flight Operations
In an effort to ensure it can continue to operate flights in the United Kingdom post-Brexit, Ryanair has created a new airline, Ryanair UK. The ultra-low-cost carrier's new arm has received its air operating certificate (AOC) from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in the UK to ensure that the airline can continue to operate flights within the UK and to destinations in the European Union in a post-Brexit world.
Ryanair made it clear early on in the process that it had concerns about what would happen to the aviation industry if a "no deal Brexit" were to happen. If the UK leaves the EU without a deal in place, the Dublin-based airline didn't see a clear legal path to continue operations in the UK.
Currently all EU-based carriers and those in the "common travel area" — which includes Morocco, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland — are allowed to fly to any country in the EU under the Open Skies regulations governing the EU.
Ryanair isn't the first airline to take this regulatory step with the looming March 2019 Brexit deadline. The budget airline's competitor Wizz Air has also secured a AOC from the UK CAA. UK-based EasyJet took another route, setting up a new company based in Vienna. EasyJet received an EU ACC to enable it to continue to operate flights within the EU.
Dutch national carrier KLM has stated that with or without a deal it would continue operating to the UK under a 1960s bilateral agreement between the Netherlands and the UK that established mutual flying rights between the two countries.
The EU has stated that there shouldn't be any disruption to flights should the UK exit the EU without specific deals in place. This latest move by Ryanair makes it clear the airlines are positioning themselves to be able to continue operations with or without a deal.
Featured Image by Ryanair.
H/T: The Guardian
