Jeremy Vine viewer says Brexit ‘not to blame’ for roaming charges

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Lauda Europe – an airline owned by Ryanair – advertised for captains and first officers at its Stansted Airport base last month. The otherwise unremarkable advert stated that applicants must have a European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) licence.

When the transition period ended in January the UK left the EASA – meaning UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) licences are no longer valid for use on EU-registered aircraft.

This means that many British pilots – who generally hold CAA licences – cannot apply for a job based in the UK.

Pilot Tim Hallett shared the news on LinkedIn and wrote: “British workers (are) now barred from applying for work in Britain due to holding British qualifications.

“On 31 July 2021, a job advert for Lauda Europe part of Ryanair seeking pilots for its Stansted base would not accept applications from pilots with British CAA Licences.

“Now a UK pilots’ licence is not valid in Essex! We have a long history of fighting discrimination in the United Kingdom.

“British workers will not be discriminated against for holding British qualifications.”

Lauda Europe was recruiting for staff to fly its Airbus A320 aircraft.

UK licences are no longer valid for use on EU-registered aircraft – like the Maltese-registered jets of Lauda Europe.

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UK pilot union BALPA’s acting general secretary Capt Martin Chalk told industry website FlightGlobal that UK-licensed pilots “are at a disadvantage” as a result of the Brexit withdrawal agreement.

“This is a consequence of that short-sighted decision,” he said.

In a communication with the Government last month, the union urged a “swift” mutual recognition of licences.

It claimed that UK pilot licences have been “seriously degraded in value and utility” and are essentially blocking pilots from obtaining new employment, even at UK airports.

Although UK pilots can seek EASA validation, it says, this is “unduly costly and time-consuming”.

The withdrawal agreement has also stirred further irritation by allowing EASA licences to remain recognised by the UK Civil Aviation Authority after Brexit.

This means that EASA-licensed crews can fly aircraft on the UK register.

The union argued that “the UK government has done little to even raise this contradiction with the EU”.

The European Commission has reportedly stated that there are no active discussions with the UK on the matter.

In minutes of a recent air crew technical body meeting – comprising representatives of the Commission and EASA member states – it stated: “There is also currently no interest on either side to enlarge the agreement to licensing.

“[The] UK has repeatedly announced that it wants to diverge from EU rules and any extension of recognition of licences or training would also have to take account of the interests of the EU industry and ensure a level playing field between [the] EU and UK.”

Express.co.uk has contacted Ryanair for comment.

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