GAMA and ADS Group Urge European Commission to Permit Brexit Planning Between EASA and the UK CAA

Brussels, Belgium – The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) today joined forces with the UK’s ADS Group in sending a letter to the European Commission’s (EC) Chief Negotiator for Brexit Mr. Michel Barnier stressing the urgent need to begin technical and contingency planning discussions between the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) ahead of the UK’s departure from the European Union (EU).

With less than 10 months to go until the UK’s departure from the EU, and little over two weeks until the European Council meeting in late June, the aviation industry in the UK, the EU and beyond are increasingly concerned about the continued lack of clarity on the status of the relationship between the UK and the EU, post-Brexit.

In the letter, GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce and ADS Group’s Chief Executive Paul Everitt expressed the gravity of the situation: “Without an agreed solution and continued connectivity both for airlines/operators and aerospace parts, then supply chain disruption across Europe will occur, parts will be unable to be delivered, pilots and maintenance technicians will be unable to work, aerospace companies in the UK will lose foreign validations for their business, and aircraft will be grounded globally.”

“The impact of Brexit on aviation is not isolated to UK companies, it falls on the European aerospace industry as a whole,” the letter states. “We need to see significant progress on key issues at the June European Council meeting, including agreement that EASA and the UK CAA can begin technical and contingency planning discussions this summer.”

Both GAMA and ADS Group stressed that their industries stand ready to work with the UK Government and the EU to make sure the solutions agreed to in negotiations are pragmatic, comprehensive, and minimise any damaging impacts on the global industry.

Read the full letter.

For additional information, please contact Sarah McCann, GAMA Director of Communications, at +1 (202) 637-1375 or smccann@gama.aero.

GAMA is an international trade association representing over 100 of the world’s leading manufacturers of general aviation airplanes and rotorcraft, engines, avionics, components and related services. GAMA’s members also operate repair stations, fixed based operations, pilot and maintenance training facilities and manage fleets of aircraft. For more information, visit GAMA’s website at www.GAMA.aero.