Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has in place to ensure that UK-based pilots with an EASA licence can continue to work unrestricted in the EU from 1 January 2021 without incurring the costs of converting their licence to maintain those licence privileges in EASA member states.
In the event that mutual recognition of EU Member State/UK pilot licences ceases at the end of the transition period, pilots with UK-issued licences who wish to fly EU-registered aircraft would need to transfer their licence to a European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) member state before the transition period ended, or subsequently seek a second licence from an EASA member state. The UK has no control over the charges that may be applied by an EASA Member State for this process.
Pilots currently holding a commercial licence from an EASA member state would need to seek a time-limited validation from the UK’s CAA to operate UK-registered aircraft outside the UK. The CAA has developed processes to make this as seamless as possible and with no associated cost.