An air cargo company is facing staggering bills to repair its planes in post-Brexit Britain as there is no longer mutual acceptance of regulatory rules between the UK and the EU.
Brexit was the everyday name for the British withdrawal from the European Union, which set up standardized rules for commerce and trade that were the same for all member countries.
Now, cargo company One Air is spending more than $500,000 every time it needs a repair on one of its Boeing 747 jets. Why? Because it has to fly the planes to the United States to get repairs since there are no companies in the UK that will work on the giant plane. While there are still many 747s in service, Boeing delivered its final 747 in 2023. Known as the Queen of the Skies, the 747 was the first double-decker jet, and it was made for 54 years.
Officials knew that Brexit would mean that companies would have to striking agreements individually within the UK, and there was an opportunity for aircraft maintenance firms to do so, but none applied to be certified to repair 747s.
What this all adds up to is multiple layers of bureaucracy and red tape dealing with the European Union. Despite the staggering repair cost, One Air says it’s cheaper to go to the U.S. The U.S. and the UK have mutual recognition for standards for this type of repair. Regulations require that UK aircraft get only UK-approved parts installed, and this is taken care between the bilateral agreement between the two countries.
One Air CEO Chris Hope said that so far in 2024, they’ve had to fly a 747 to the U.S. twice for repairs. In order to avoid this, companies in the EU would have to make an application with the United Kingdom to be certified under British rules. That did not happen post-Brexit, and it is unlikely to happen in the future as the number of 747s in operation will only decrease as the planes are retired.
It’s not just equipment affected by these rules, it’s personnel, too. Pilots with British certification are no longer recognized as qualified by the EU. The head of the British Airlines Pilots Association, Amy Leversidge, has asked the new British government to push for mutual recognition for pilot and flight crew certifications between the UK and European nations.
