Iata warns no-deal Brexit puts millions of flight seats at risk
Five million extra flight seats between the UK and the European Union may be at risk if Britain leaves the bloc without a deal, the International Air Transport Association has warned.
A no-deal Brexit scenario will cap additional UK-EU flights this year, which could lead to higher prices for travellers and uncertainty for airlines, the airlines’ trade body said yesterday.
“In the small window remaining before Brexit it is imperative that the EU and UK prioritise finding a solution that brings certainty to airlines planning growth to meet demand and to travellers planning business trips and family holidays,” said Alexandre de Juniac, Iata’s director general and chief executive.
Iata estimates that up to 5 million extra seats are scheduled for 2019 compared to 2018 between UK and EU to meet travel demand, many of which will fall in the peak summer season when families book holidays, and this growth is at risk without a Brexit agreement.
Measures to continue operating UK-EU flights for a year based on traffic levels of 2018 do not take into account the additional growth forecast for 2019 and therefore flights will be cancelled or delayed once traffic exceeds the 2018 levels, Mr de Juniac said in Dubai last week.
With a little over two months before Britain is set to leave the EU on March 29, a no-deal Brexit is looking more likely. The European Commission earlier said it adopted a proposal for regulation to ensure basic air services between the UK and EU for 12 months.
“That current flight levels will be protected even with a hard Brexit is an important assurance. But with two months left until Britain leaves the EU, airlines still do not know exactly what kind of Brexit they should be planning for,” Mr de Juniac said.
“There is legal and commercial uncertainty over how the Commission’s plan to cap flight numbers will work.”