Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assurances the Government has received from the European Commission that even in a no deal situation goods and people can be flown within the EU after Article 50 expires on 29 March 2019 without any more barriers or checks than currently apply.

The Government’s recently published White Paper sets out proposals for an Air Transport Agreement which seeks to maintain reciprocal liberalised aviation access between and within the territory of the UK and the EU.

It also sets out proposals for a free trade area for goods, as well as UK participation in the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which would avoid the need for customs and regulatory checks at the UK’s borders with the EU.

The continuation of flights to and from the EU is far and away the highest probability. However, we are also, as a matter of common sense, considering possible alternatives to a negotiated agreement. The CAA is making the appropriate contingency preparations to deliver a continuity of service in regulation. This includes a scenario in which it takes on the responsibilities of EASA.