Question mark hangs over UK pilots’ licences post-Brexit

British pilots are to ask the European Commission to continue to recognise their licences post Brexit in a face to face meeting later this month.

If the EU refuses, it is unclear whether thousands of licences for UK-registered pilots and aircraft that were issued by the European Avaition Safety Agency (EASA) will have to be re-issued by the Civil Aviation Authority, at a cost of several million pounds.

As a result, easyJet is already shifting its UK-based pilots flying on EU-registered aircraft onto Austrian licences, said the British Airline Pilots Association.

BALPA general secretary Brian Strutton said: "BALPA has been in discussions with the CAA and Department of Trade to establish unequivocally what the status of UK pilot licences will be post-Brexit.

"We are aware that easyJet has already begun steps to switch pilots flying EU-registered aircraft from UK licences to EU licenses. However, we believe that UK licences will still be valid to fly UK-registered aircraft. But ‘belief’ is not proof, and that is what we seek.

"Of course, if the EU would agree to continue to recognise UK pilot licences this would not be a problem, and we will be asking the Commission this in a face-to-face meeting with them later this month."

Prime minister Theresa May has made it clear she wants the UK to remain a member of the European air safety agency EASA, which is responsible for issuing pilot licences.

Some have argued that an agreement on EASA could be reached even in the event of no deal, with both sides in agreement over the importance of keeping planes flying.

However, Sky News suggested this week that if the EU refuses to allow Britain’s continued membership of EASA, 35,000 pilots’ licences would have to be re-issued.

It speculated this would put a strain on the CAA, which it said has been downsized in recent years, with many of its staff moving to Brussels.

But Mark Swan, group director of safety and airspace regulation at the CAA, said: "It is misleading for Sky News to say that 35,000 pilots would need to renew their pilot’s licence in a ‘no-deal’ Brexit scenario. Both commercial and private UK pilot licences would remain valid for use on UK-registered aircraft as the United Kingdom is a signatory to the International Civil Aviation Organisation Chicago Convention.

"Our licences are internationally recognised – including by the European Aviation Safety Agency – both now and after 29 March 2019.

"The CAA will continue to issue and reissue pilots’ licences when they are lost, damaged, when details need to be changed or pilots’ privileges updated as we do now. Over time, this would include removing references to EASA – a purely cosmetic change. There will be no requirement for licences to be re-issued for any other reason meaning that there will be no change to this process.

"The CAA also strongly refutes any suggestion that we are concerned about our ability to provide safety oversight to the UK aviation industry should no-deal be reached between the UK and the EU. The safety of passengers, crew and those on the ground remains our absolute priority and nothing has changed in this respect.

"Sky News has unfortunately confused EASA approval of new aircraft and component design with our existing national safety oversight obligations.

"As a responsible regulator, the CAA has been planning for all eventualities in the negotiations, including that of a ‘no-deal’, for some time. Our planning and contingency is advanced and we continue to work closely with the Government to prepare the industry for all scenarios."