Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations (a) he and (b) officials of his Department have made to the European Commission to remove the cap in Article 3(2) of the proposed draft Regulation on air connectivity.

The European Commission has proposed a Regulation which, if adopted, would allow for the continuation of flights from the UK to the EU for a period of 12 months. Nothing has yet been agreed, and the Regulation still needs to be approved by the European Council and the European Parliament. The Government continues to engage with our European partners regarding the continuation of air connectivity and the Regulation remains under close review.

The Department will continue to engage with stakeholders across the aviation industry. It is important to note that these measures would only apply in the event that the UK leaves the EU without having concluded a Withdrawal Agreement. The Government’s priority is to leave the EU with a Withdrawal Agreement in place, and then to negotiate an ambitious and comprehensive air transport agreement with the EU, which not only maintains connectivity, but also enables the aviation industry to evolve and innovate.