UNITED KINGDOM CONFIRMS PLAN TO SEEK OPEN SKIES WITH THE U.S. POST-BREXIT
March 19, 2017
On February 2, 2017 Theresa May, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (UK) and David Davis, Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union (EU), released a white paper that addresses specific topics regarding the UK’s withdrawal (Brexit) from the EU.
Notably, the white paper assures the aviation sector that the UK will seek bilateral air services agreements with countries “like the US”, where air services arrangements are currently covered by the existing U.S.-EU Open Skies Agreement. As most of our readers know, the current U.S.-EU Open Skies Agreement is incredibly liberalized, and permits any airline in the EU to fly to any point in the U.S. and vice versa. The agreement was significant for the UK when signed in 2007 because it opened up competition and transatlantic opportunities to London Heathrow Airport, to which access had previously been restricted under the prior U.S.-UK bilateral (Bermuda II agreement).
The UK will begin the process of exiting the EU at the end of March 2017, when it plans to trigger Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union after a majority of votes on a June 2016 referendum were casted in favor of the UK leaving the EU.
A copy of the white paper is available at: https://www.politico.eu/app/uploads/The_United_Kingdoms_exit_from_and_partnership_with_the_EU_Web-2.pdf
If you have any questions, please contact Evelyn Sahr (esahr@eckertseamans.com, 202-659-6622) or Drew Derco (dderco@eckertseamans.com, 202-659-6665).
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