Airlines are due to meet government officials today (Monday) to discuss the future of European open skies after the UK leaves the European Union.
The talks are seen as vital as Brexit threatens to throw the aviation industry’s intricate arrangement of routes and ownerships structures into disarray.
Airlines including British Airways and easyJet are preparing to fight to operate in Europe without any limitations through the open skies regime, The Telegraph reported.
The Department for Exiting the European Union will sit down with senior figures from the aviation sector to address the looming changes it can expect in the coming two years as part of a planned series of meetings with the UK’s major industries.
A department spokesman said the government is interested in understanding the challenges and opportunities Brexit will deliver.
EasyJet holds an operating licence in the UK but relies on intra-European flights for 40% of its revenues and continues to aggressively grow its network of routes connecting European cities.
The no-frills carrier is already bracing for a £90 million profit hit this year after the plunge in sterling.
EasyJet, along with other airlines, will be calling on the government to ensure that the single aviation market remains intact to avoid losing almost half of its revenue after the UK’s departure from the EU.
The carrier’s full year financial results for 2015-16 are released tomorrow.