Budget airline Ryanair has once again warned that time is running out to find a deal between the UK and EU that will keep commercial planes flying across the region after Brexit.
The airline has repeatedly raised this issue over recent months, saying last August that flights to popular summer holiday destinations are at risk.
On Wednesday, its chief marketing officer Kenny Jacobs said in a statement: “We remain concerned at the uncertainty which surrounds the terms of the UK’s departure from the EU in March ’19.
While we continue to campaign for the UK to remain in the EU Open Skies agreement, we caution that should the UK leave, there may not be sufficient time, or goodwill on both sides, to negotiate a timely replacement bilateral which could result in a disruption of flights between the UK and Europe for a period of time from April ’19 onwards, and/or the cancellation of flights and routes, and the movement of our based aircraft to Continental Europe”.
Earlier this week, the FT reported that the UK is facing a worse air services deal with the US after Brexit than the one it currently enjoys, with formal talks cut short due to the awkward issue of the foreign shareholdings of British carriers.
The CEO of British Airways owner IAG quickly responded by dismissing these concerns as “nonsense”. He added that “I wouldn’t believe anything that’s written in the FT.”
(Financial Times)
