Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made air travel arrangements for direct flights with any self declared state recognised by other countries.

In order for an international direct flight to take place, the relevant airports need to be designated as international customs airports.

Under the Chicago Convention, only the state with sovereignty over the territory in which an airport is located may designate that airport as an international customs airport, and grant permission for flights to operate between the UK and its territory. Making arrangements to operate direct flights to airports not so designated and without such permission would place the UK in breach of its obligations to respect that state’s rights under the Convention.

Furthermore, rights to operate direct flights would require an Air Services Agreement to be in place between the UK and the state with sovereignty over the relevant territory.