LONDON (Reuters) - Britain’s aviation regulator has stepped up planning for a “no deal” disorderly Brexit, identifying how many new staff would be needed and preparing safety systems to take on work now carried out by European authorities.......
On Tuesday the CAA published information on its plans to fulfill functions now delivered by the European Aviation Safety Agency, EASA, should that become necessary.
The CAA has consistently stated the most positive outcome is that Britain stays in EASA, and the government has said it wants to explore the terms on which that could happen.
Airlines and aerospace companies such as Airbus (
AIR.PA), which makes the wings for all its passenger jets in Britain, are worried about Britain being excluded from EASA because the body approves planes and aircraft components.
As part of its “non-negotiated” withdrawal plans, the CAA could need to hire 30 to 50 new members of staff, a source told Reuters, adding no such jobs were advertised currently.
The CAA also said it would need to cover some regulatory processes itself if there is no deal.
“Our preparatory work includes adjusting existing systems so that they could continue to work in exactly the same way as now – but with the UK Government and the CAA fulfilling regulatory functions independently of the EU,” the CAA said on its website.
“As an example, the CAA is creating the capability required for the UK to fulfill State of Design responsibilities independently of EASA should that be needed once the UK leaves the EU.”
UK aerospace industry body ADS has said it would take approximately 5-10 years for the CAA to rebuild its safety regulation capability to take over from EASA.