The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and Department for Transport (DfT) are urging aviation and aerospace businesses to apply for UK certification and personnel licences to continue operating and maintaining UK-registered aircraft after 31 December 2022.
To help industry the CAA has today launched a campaign to remind pilots, engineers, European Union (EU) registered maintenance and training organisations of the actions they must take now to prepare for 31 December 2022 - when the UK will stop accepting EU organisational approvals and personnel licences for use with UK-registered aircraft.
The EU Withdrawal Act allowed certificate types, including pilot and engineer licences, as well as maintenance and training organisations approvals, to remain valid in the UK for a period of two years from 31 December 2020. This allowed some flexibility in adjusting to the legal changes post EU Exit, providing stability for passengers, the aviation and aerospace sectors. On 31 December 2022 the validity of these certificates will cease.
To help the industry prepare the CAA has launched a dedicated website with information on the actions that must be taken in the next 12 months. There is no expectation that the Trade and Corporation Agreement (TCA) between the UK and European Union will be expanded to include the areas affected before the end of 2022. It is therefore imperative that an application for a UK application is submitted to the CAA as soon as possible to ensure that the correct documents are processed in time.
Commenting on the campaign launch, the UK Civil Aviation Authority's Chief Executive, Richard Moriarty, said:
"Whether you are a pilot or an engineer with a European licence and currently work with UK-registered aircraft, or think you might wish to in the future, now is the time to apply. Until 31 December 2022 the CAA has simplified the application process for gaining UK licences, and we expect demand to be high, so we advise everyone to apply as soon as possible. European organisations wanting to operate and maintain UK-registered aircraft also need to assess how they might be affected by the changes and refer to our website for dedicated information on how to gain UK licences."
Also commenting, the Aviation Minister, Robert Courts, said:
"Together with the Civil Aviation Authority I urge businesses to ensure they are fully ready by applying early for UK certification and licences."
“After 31 December 2022 EU aviation safety certificates will no longer be accepted in the UK, and it's imperative that our industry is aware of this upcoming change to ensure the future viability of the sector.”
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