Pilots union demand ‘much needed clarity' from government on Brexit

Pilot licences and employment rights are among the tissues to be finalised

The British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) has called on the government to give “much-needed clarity” for the aviation industry in relation to Brexit.

At present, it is unclear what agreements air operators will be required to comply with for travel between the UK and the European Union from January 2021 onwards.

Outstanding questions about pilot licences and employment rights also remain unanswered.

Balpa general secretary, Brian Strutton, said: “I am worried about the increasing talk of ‘no deal’ following the transition period.

“To be clear, there is no World Trade Organisation (WTO) fall back for aviation.

“At the very least, there has to be an air transport agreement in place for flights to continue between the UK and the EU.”

Mr Strutton called for a comprehensive agreement, incorporating mutual recognition of pilot licences, clarity around the ability of UK and EU pilots to fly aircraft registered in each other’s jurisdictions and around employment rights.

“We had hoped that the UK Government and the EU side would have reached some sensible arrangements by now, at least in some absolutely key areas such as air travel," he said. 

Mr Strutton added: “This industry is in an incredibly fragile state right now. We have already seen some airlines raising red flags to their staff about these issues. Any further damage caused by political posturing or flexing of muscles could be fatal. Enough. We need an agreement and we need it now.”

The aviation industry is struggling to recover after worldwide lockdown measures triggered by coronavirus resulted in the grounding of aircraft across the sector.

Leading trade body the International Air Transport Association (Iata) has predicted that air travel is not expected to hit pre-pandemic levels until 2024.

British Airways has already cut more than 6,000 staff through voluntary redundancy and mothballed its £200m Heathrow base; easyJet has announced that it will close its bases at London Stansted, London Southend and Newcastle airports from 1 September, as well as slashing 30 per cent of jobs; and Jet2 is making 102 pilots redundant.

And, last week, Virgin Atlantic announced major cuts to it workforce, leaving staff levels at half of its pre-pandemic figure.  

In response to the news, Brian Strutton, BALPA general secretary said: “Hardly a day now goes by without more tough news from the aviation industry.”