On March 29, 2017, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (hereinafter referred to as “the United Kingdom”) notified the European Council of its intent to withdraw from the European Union on March 30, 2019. This withdrawal from the European Union is commonly referred to as “Brexit”.
At the time of the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union, the United Kingdom will cease to be considered a party to European Union treaties and thus lose those treaties’ benefits and obligations. This will affect all treaties between Canada and the European Union, including the Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement (BASA).
As the European Union and the United Kingdom negotiate the terms of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union, Transport Canada (TC) and the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority (UK CAA) have continued their active efforts to minimize disruptions to air transportation services that could result from Brexit. Transport Canada is closely following those negotiations and supports the United Kingdom and the European Union reaching an agreement as soon as possible to minimize any uncertainty.
TC and the UK CAA have worked together to maintain predictable and stable market conditions for our respective aviation and aerospace sectors and ensure the continuity of services. The aim was to replicate current provisions under the BASA to the extent possible. Furthermore, TC and the UK CAA have worked together to address any gaps resulting from Brexit and to plan for a seamless transition period.
In March 2019, TC and the UK CAA signed the Hard-BREXIT Scenario for the Working Arrangement, alongside the Technical Implementation Procedures (TIP) and the Technical Arrangement - Maintenance (TA-M). This documentation underwent a review and required minor amendments to reflect the latest BREXIT decisions. The updated documents have been signed and will be posted on TC’s website at: https://tc.canada.ca/en/aviation/aircraft-airworthiness/international-agreements-arrangements
TCCA will hold Industry Outreach briefing sessions on 7 December 2020 – Maintenance and 9 December 2020 – Design and Certification to present an overview of post-Brexit differences of the documents which will include the participation of the UK CAA. Invitations are being sent based on the CARAC Communications distribution list.
The Government of Canada will continue to inform Canadians as it continues to actively engage the European Union and the United Kingdom in an effort to minimize disruptions from Brexit for Canadians.
For more information on Canada’s continued trade relationship with the United Kingdom post-Brexit, please view the article published by Global Affairs Canada in the Canada Gazette here.