Laurence Dollimore
THE UK will tell the EU it wants to stay in a key aviation safety body, under the indirect jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice, in order to keep planes flying after Brexit.
According to Sky News, the UK will tell the union it wishes to remain in the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which runs safety and maintenance checks and sets crucial standards across Europe and the UK.
It comes after pressure from UK and European airlines and the US Federal Aviation Authority, which has told Britain it has weeks to come up with a legal structure for aviation safety, and will be subject to checks by US inspectors.
The Department for Transport has been privately reassuring the aviation industry and aeronautical manufacturers that Britain will stay within EASA.
A senior source told Sky News the UK’s proposal will be modelled as an ‘offer’ to the EU, given the Government calculates 40% of the technical expertise behind EASA is from the UK Civil Aviation Authority.
One source said: “It is part of the second phase negotiating process, but it would be bizarre if we couldn’t be part of it.
“Plenty of countries outside of the EU are in EASA, although they don’t keep voting rights”.
