New capacities: The CAA would have a broader scope

According to Horton, the CAA’s ideal outcome would be remaining in the EASA and while they’re preparing in the event that this is not possible, they also – for the time being – plan to retain EU aviation safety legislation to be applied as UK domestic law.

»We’re already putting the entire area regulation package into UK law and that goes to parliament before Christmas, so we will have the same set of rules as we do today,« he says.

The idea is that even if no deal is reached, the system would work the same as it does today. In order for this to happen, though, the CAA would have to fulfil regulatory functions independently of the EU. This would require capabilities to take over functions that are currently carried out by the EASA, and would require new hires and new competencies that could take years to build.

The UK government has asserted that the CAA has maintained their capabilities and is actively building their resource pool to take over and sufficiently perform a broader function.

Horton explains, though, making new hires and finding these new competencies is not exactly a simple task.

»It’s a challenge because people are looking at us and wondering where we’ll be in a month’s time. At the moment, we’re not getting the volume of applicants that we would perhaps like. We're getting the numbers - but not the levels that we need,« he says.

Potential opportunities of a more powerful CAA

Along with the many challenges that could arise from a no-deal Brexit, there are also potential opportunities that could arise from the CAA gaining a greater scope of authority. Traditionally, regulators in the UK have been thought of as rather progressive, a split from the EASA would give them the chance to evaluate policies and make changes once not possible.

»We’ve already had a lot of enquiries from other states around the world to link up with them going forward, so there’s good work that could be done,” says Horton of opportunities for change and continues:

»We have a very active consultancy element to the CAA and that is really picking up, especially in the Far East and also the Middle East. We have the groundwork already there, so now it’s about whether we can take that and build on it. There are opportunities.«

Some potential areas of influence may be with regard to data laws. Horton has this to say about it:

»Data is a big issue within Europe because of the change in regulation, and the jury is still out on that in terms of what we have access to and how we can cooperate. Some of that data is not owned by us, it’s owned by Europe. Some of it is open source. It very much depends on where that data sits who owns it.«

The main concern for many, though, is being able to move forward with harmonisation, in order to reduce complexities within the industry. The CAA seems confident that this can be accomplished.

»We’re an active player in ICAO. I think I can say we’ve got someone on virtually every panel in ICAO. We will still try to communicate, link up and work with European partners. We’re finding all the individual states rather receptive,« says Horton.

Brexit and the aviation industry moving forward

As of today, it is clear that the implications of Brexit in the aviation industry are still not fully known, and the best thing you can do to prepare is to try and stay informed.

In the words of Horton:

»If you are operating a UK-registered aircraft at 23:00 UK time on May 29, it can still fly. The agreements will be in place for it to fly to Europe and back again. Everything will be in place from a UK point of view.«

From an EU point of view, though, the jury’s still out.

Stay up to date on EASA’s dedicated Brexit page and the CAA UK website.

Disclaimer: The views and information expressed in this article do not reflect the official policy or position of Satair or Airbus.

Digital services

Quick Links

Quick Links

Legal Links

How Brexit will impact the aviation industry