EasyJet in talks with regulators to continue flying in EU

“We have today written to the UK Government and the European Commission to ask them to prioritise the UK remaining part of the single EU aviation market, given its importance to trade and consumers”.

It added that it has no plans to move its headquarters or jobs from its Luton base.

EASYJET has started discussions with aviation regulators of EU member states’ about relocating its headquarters from the United Kingdom following the country’s decision to leave the European Union.

The certificate would ensure the airline has unfettered access to the European Common Aviation Area (ECAA), which is central to its business because it allows the short-haul carrier to fly to destinations across the continent.

It added it had now started a formal process to acquire one but this did not mean it was moving its headquarters as it currently also had an AOC in Switzerland.

The airline said it had no immediate plans to relocate the main office from Luton Airport in Bedfordshire, but confirmed it is now trying to obtain an air operator certificate (AOC) within Europe. EasyJet now has two AOCs, one in Britain and one in Switzerland.

British Airways owner IAG SA has its head office near Heathrow airport in west London, close to BA’s own base, but also has Irish and Spanish AOC’s via its Aer Lingus, Iberia and Vueling units, and is registered in Madrid.

This will mean they no longer enjoy rights including being able to freely set airfares, and to launch any route in Europe without getting prior authorisation.

According to Sky News, easyJet’s chief executive Carolyn McCall believes moving its legal headquarters from the United Kingdom is now nearly a “dead cert” following the referendum result.

Airlines are among the industries in Britain, in addition to banks, to have been left especially exposed by the shock Brexit vote.

However, the airline indicated any structural changes will be put on hold until the negotiations between the United Kingdom and Brussels are completed.

“I don’t think we’ll open up many new lines in the United Kingdom for the next twelve or eighteen months, until this current uncertainty is removed”, chief executive Michael O’Leary told AFP in Brussels on Tuesday.

The group – one of the UK’s largest companies – said its decision would depend on whether Britain’s negotiations to quit the European Union would restrict free “movement of people, capital and goods”.