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“The freedom of the air” rights
The UK aviation industry is regulated at national, bilateral and international levels.
For this reason, the end of the Brexit transition period on 31 December 2020 marked a significant moment for air movements between the UK and EU. Although there are still plenty of flights between the UK and EU member states, Brexit has changed the way that traffic rights, often dubbed “the freedoms of the air”, work in practice. Without government intervention, the changes pose a challenge to future efficient air cargo movements.
FIRST FOUR FREEDOMS
The first four freedoms of the air allow airlines to fly over airspace, embark and disembark passengers and cargo to, from, and within a given state. These were confirmed in the UK-EU free trade deal.
FIFTH FREEDOM EXCLUDED FROM DEAL
The fifth freedom allows a plane travelling from one country to stop off in a second country, unload cargo and then travel onward to a third country. Although vital to cargo operations, this fifth freedom was not included in the UK-EU deal and is being negotiated in bilateral arrangements between the UK and individual member states. Earlier this year the Department for Transport (DfT) confirmed that it was negotiating temporary arrangements on a priority basis and while agreements are now in place with France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands to operate fifth freedom flights, they are still required with other EU states to keep trade flying freely.
PRESSING FOR CONTINUED ACCESS
Logistics UK is urging government to ensure air cargo operations continue to have access to all EU states under the fifth freedom rights, in addition to the sixth and seventh.
“While temporary arrangements work in the short term, we are calling for a long-term, sustainable approach to accessing later freedoms for air cargo,” said Zoe McLernon, Multimodal Policy Manager at Logistics UK.
“As the global pandemic continues to hit aviation, and with capacity for air freight remaining lower compared to 2019 averages,” she continued, “freighters continue to work hard to support the UK population during the pandemic. The industry needs a comprehensive package of support and a clear plan for recovery; guaranteed freedom of the air rights is one key element of this need.”
*www.logistics.org.uk/air
Published On: 25/03/2021 17:00:01
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